FUNDRAISERS in the Isle of Man have done their bit in a $200m bid to eradicate a crippling disease.
Rotary clubs in the British Isles, along with their conterparts throughout the world, have now met the challenge laid down five years ago to raise money to eradicate polio from the final four countries where it remains.
The challenge was set in 2007 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which pledged $355m to the cause provided Rotary could raise $200m by this June. The money will be used to fund vaccination programmes in countries where the disease remains endemic – specifically Afghanistan, India, Pakistan and Nigeria.
It means total funding devoted to the scheme now stands at $610m, taking account of an extra $50 committed to the project by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to recognise the achievement of meeting the target nearly six months early.
Kevin Kneen, the island’s Thanks for Life: End Polio Now fundraising co-ordinator, said: ‘I would like to say thank you to everyone who has helped to stop polio. Every time someone donates to Rotary’s End Polio Now campaign, we take another step closer to saying goodbye to the disease and saving children from a lifetime of crippling pain.’
Mr Kneen said Douglas Rotary, which is one of five clubs in the island, had raised £14,000 in the past two years towards the cause. He said the island’s Rotary network was now working towards raising a further £3,500 – the equivalent cost of vaccinating the Isle of Man’s population of 85,000 people – by the June deadline.
He said during the campaign they had spoken to up to 6,000 of the island’s schoolchildren and had been delighted with the backing they had received from the schools which, along with many others, had organised fundraising events.
Anyone wanting to help should contact Kevin Kneen at {mailto:kazbar@manx.net|kazbar(at)manx.net} or visit {http://www.douglasrotary.org|www.douglasrotary.org}.
