Polio Eradication

Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years. Our goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever.

 

As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication initiative, we've reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent since our first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979.

 

Rotary members have contributed more than $2.1 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect nearly 3 billion children in 122 countries from this paralysing disease. Rotary’s advocacy efforts have played a role in decisions by governments to contribute more than $10 billion to the effort.

 

Today, polio remains endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan. But it’s crucial to continue working to keep other countries polio-free. If all eradication efforts stopped today, within 10 years, polio could paralyse as many as 200,000 children each year.  

 

Rotary's ongoing commitment to polio eradication is 

 

Grants Program​

Funds donated by Rotary clubs are invested by TRF for three years and then allocated to the global grants fund (50%) and returned to local Rotary districts (50%) and clubs based on the level of their contribution.

 

Global Grants fund large international projects with long-term, sustainable outcomes in one or more of Rotary’s areas of focus. They range from $US30,000 to $US400,000.

 

District Grants fund smaller-scale, short-term projects that address immediate needs in your community or abroad.

 

Disaster Response Grants are available to Rotary districts that have been affected by natural disasters can use Rotary disaster response grants to launch their own projects or work with established relief organizations to help their communities recover. Grant funds can be used to provide basic items such as water, food, medicine, and clothing. 

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Each year Rotary selects up to 100 professionals from around the world to receive fully funded academic fellowships at our Rotary Peace Centres scattered around the world, including here at the University of Queensland.  Since the program began in 2002, the Rotary Peace Centres have trained more than 1,500 fellows who now work in over 115 countries. Many serve as leaders in governments, NGOs, education and research institutions, peacekeeping and law enforcement agencies, and international organizations like the United Nations and the World Bank.

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Rotary Foundation Australia has been established to “connect generous corporations, philanthropies and individuals with Rotary projects that make a significant difference for Australian communities”.

 

Rotary Foundation Australia gives you the opportunity to invest in humanitarian outcomes that are very tightly aligned with your purpose. Donors can choose which cause (or causes) they wish to support and large donors can direct their support to specific Rotary projects.