What Bill Gates said about Rotary and Polio

Bill Gates statement at the 2013 Richard Dimbleby lecture.


 

END POLIO NOW

Bill Gates statement at the 2013 Richard Dimbleby lecture.

Below is a transcript of what Bill Gates said about Rotary when he spoke about the work that remained to rid the world of Polio in his 2013 Richard Dimbleby Lecture.

"Many organisations helped push the eradication resolution through the World Health Assembly, but the one you wouldn't expect is Rotary International. Rotary is a service organisation with 1.2 million members in almost every country in the world, including more than 50,000 in Great Britain and Ireland.

Rotarians pledge to put service above self, their motto, but they have no specific global health mandate. They are not polio experts. They are regular people who go to work and spend time with their families. For three decades, they have also spent time advocating for polio eradication, raising money to support vaccination, and giving kids polio drops all over the world.

Other partners include the Centers for Disease Control, UNICEF, and the World Health Organisation. We rely on them to excel at their jobs. But that is not enough. We also need people whose jobs have nothing to do with the health of poor people to act. That is public will."


The battle against Polio is not won yet but it is well on the way.

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What Rotary does worldwide

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Helping at the regular litter picks

What we do in within the local community

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The Tall Ships experience - sending youngsters to sea to boost their confidence. Recent Tall Ships crew which includes local youngsters we have sponsored.

We support young people in the community both in and outside of school

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The 2024 Charity Golf Day was held on Thursday 11th July and made £2,000 for Prostate Cancer UK. 17 teams of 4 golfers enjoyed a round on the Brinsea Championship Course at Mendip Spring Golf Club. Date for 2025 is Thursday, 17 July.

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Visit to Houses of Parliament

We have an active social programme to complement our service activity

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The most recent event took place on 9 June 2024 with significant funds raised for local charities. Look here for details of the 2025 event.

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The Rotary Effect

About Rotary International and how Rotary Nailsea & Backwell is part of a much bigger network

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3 Bookstalls in 2024 were in March, June and July with our final sale on 19th October. A further 4 sales are planned for 2025 with dates to be announced. Handbag stalls are now being organised by Nailsea District Leg Club.

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