Watch our World Polio Day livestream event

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By Rotary International

By Rotary staff

Polio is no longer the menace it once was in many parts of the world. But until it is eradicated everywhere, it is still a threat to people anywhere. To find out where we are at in our effort to rid the world of this crippling disease, tune in to our World Polio Day livestream event at 14:30 PDT (UTC-7) from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation headquarters in Seattle.

Rotary clubs across the globe have registered more than 2,000 events in their communities. Tell us how your club is marking the occasion.

Register your event or find one near you
Share the livestream with your social networks using #endpolio
Download World Polio Day materials
Catch the film ”Breathe” in a theater near you for the inspiring story of Robin Cavendish, who contracted the disease in Kenya in 1958

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Source:: Rotary International Blog

How Rotary’s polio scholarship is helping me achieve my goals

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By Rotary International

Dr. Koko Khurram Rizwani takes a selfie with colleagues.

By Dr. Koko Khurram Rizwani, Rotary PolioPlus Memorial Scholarship recipient

About a year ago, I was facing many anxieties and worries about how I was going to complete my graduate studies and realize my short and long term goals of improving public health in Pakistan. Receiving Rotary’s PolioPlus Memorial Scholarship has been like a dream come true.

I have always felt a bit at odds with many of my peers, to the point that I have often times been labeled an “odd lot.” I see problems or broken systems and I want to fix them. I cannot accept the usual quick-fix approach that is practiced a lot here in Pakistan.

I have had a passion for medicine since secondary school, and completed my Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery from Dow Medical College. I was gratified that I now had knowledge to be able to ameliorate some of the pain in other people’s lives.

But as time passed, and I started my medical practice, a new problem emerged as I confronted the state of affairs in the health profession. Questions kept coming up. Why is this done this way? How can anyone ignore this? How can …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

What I think about when I cycle

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By Rotary International

Rotary riders at the start of El Tour de Tucson in 2014.

By John Hewko, Rotary International General Secretary

On 18 November, over 18,000 wheels will be gliding through the Sonora Desert. Those wheels will be propelled by 9,000 cyclists participating in the annual Tour de Tucson. Many ride for fun; many ride for the challenge of completing the long course of 106 miles; and many ride to raise money for humanitarian causes. Close to a hundred of those riders are fortunate enough to ride for nothing less than one of the greatest public health achievements in our time.

I count myself among those lucky few, as I will be riding to fundraise for Rotary’s flagship cause of polio eradication, pursued by Rotary members and their friends for more than thirty years. This year’s Tour de Tucson ride is another opportunity to bring us closer to the goal of a polio-free world.

So I will be taking on the challenge of the Tucson course with two wheels, almost 100 Rotarian riders and staff teammates from Tucson and around the world, and 1.2 million Rotary members in support. I’ll also be doing it with one new hip, which adds another …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog