Disaster Relief

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Polio Plus

Eradicating Polio Worldwide

Perhaps it should really have been called Polio Minus, but some years ago, Rotary International, in conjunction with the World Health Organisation, resolved to rid the world of the scourge of Polio. Rotary has been working to this end since 1985. An ambitious project? Certainly. Expensive? Certainly, but with the aid of more than a million Rotarians worldwide, and donations on a multi-million dollar scale from Microsoft founder Bill Gates, we are almost there. And Southport Rotary Club is proud to be one of those clubs who have contributed to this amazing project.

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The Western Hemisphere became polio-free in 1994, Europe and the Pacific areas by 2002, and by 2009 the job is 99% completed with only three or four countries not yet clear. By the time the project is completed, Rotarians will have raised more than £350 million towards "Polio Plus" - a marvellous indication of what can be done when we all focus on a common goal.