ROTARY Club of Douglas is hoping a Christmas single will give an important boost to their campaign to rid the world of an infectious disease.
The long-running campaign by Rotary clubs around the world has seen polio almost extinct in all but a handful of countries.
To help with the campaign to eradicate the disease completely a track is being released with the proceeds going to support the cause.
AJ Brown, a performer with the Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra has produced the track – called Wrapped Up – both to publicise the campaign as well as raising money to support it.
All money raised will go towards operational costs of the immunisation programme, such as transport, providing and delivering vaccines and training health workers.
Mr Brown is hoping to achieve at least 10,000 downloads of his MP3 track and each one will buy at least two polio vaccines to use during national immunisation days in Africa Aisa Nepal and Afghanistan.
The Rotary Club of Douglas is asking people to support the initiative by downloading the track and passing on the message to as many people as possible.
Kevin Kneen, chairman of the Douglas Rotarians’ Thanks for Life: End Polio Now campaign, said: ‘What we are trying to ensure is that the profile of Rotary’s End Polio Now Campaign continues and with the help of musicians like AJ Brown we should be able to. And with the relevance of his single being for Christmas this is ideal timing.
‘I believe we are nearing a total fundraising effort approaching £30,000 by the Rotary Club of Douglas over the last four years in support of Rotary Internationals End Polio Now Campaign. This equates to approximately 150,000 children that will be vaccinated against the most terrible disease that is polio as a direct result of funds raised by our club in the island.’
Mr Kneen said the club was continuing its efforts with the campaign and was delighted still to be receiving donations, the latest being from pupils at Castle Rushen High School who raised money from a dress down day. In addition, he said King William’s College had agreed to donate collections from its two December carol services to the polio campaign.
Donations worth more than $218m dollars have been raised by Rotary clubs across the world to help eradicate polio which can cause permanent paralysis and death.
The money was raised in response to a challenge from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which pledged $355m back in 2007 on the condition that Rotary world wide could raise $200m during the three years ending in June 2012.
The disease now remains in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Northern India and Nigeria, compared with 125 countries 27 years ago. The reduction has spared 5m children from disability and saved 125,000 lives.
A donation was made earlier this year from the Isle of Man Government’s overseas aid committee of £10,500 - enough for 52,000 vaccinations.
More information about the campaign can be found on the Rotary Club of Douglas’ website {http://www.douglasrotary.org|www.douglasrotary.org}.
To download Mr Brown’s single log on to {https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/wrapped-up-single/id570337062|https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/wrapped-up-single/id570337062}.
