A Canadian Rotarian immunizes a young girl against polio in Katsina, Nigeria. Photo by Jean-Marc Giboux
By Quentin Wodon, president, Rotary Club of Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C., USA
As a Rotarian and a lead economist at the World Bank, it has been exciting to see my organization step up to the plate and commit resources to the fight to eradicate polio, as we observe World Polio Day.
While the World Bank is not one of the spearheading partners of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), the organization does work closely with the GPEI, of which Rotary is a leading partner, as well as country governments to provide financing to help end polio. At the request of the Government of Nigeria, the World Bank has recently committed $125 million for polio eradication in the country this summer. About half of these resources will fund oral polio vaccines and other operational requirements, while the other half will help fund routine immunizations.
In considering the World Bank’s investments, I am struck by how intertwined the two issues of polio eradication and broader development are.
The World Bank program document notes multiple obstacles to eradicating polio, in large part due to the lack of security …read more
Source:: Rotary International Blog
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