Help District 5280 Make History Again!
During the last Rotary year, our District 5280 made Rotary history by being the first Rotary District in the world to have 100% of their members donate to Polio Plus! We are so very close to wiping out polio from our world. There have only been a total of 19 cases this year of polio in our world, which were reported in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
It would be easy to say the numbers are few, and funds are no longer needed. This is not true! Immunizations still need to take place in these countries to make sure the remaining children receive immunizations and the newborns and very young continue to be immunized. Monitoring for the next three years is also very important. Rotary International is asking every Rotarian throughout the world to contribute $26.50 this year for Polio Plus, as this is the Centennial Year of our Foundation, and this was the amount of the first contribution to the Foundation in 1917.
Many insurgents are still trying to stop the immunization projects. During the past 30 months, 65 workers and security officers were killed in Pakistan trying to get the job done. These workers gave their lives to help us with our goal to eliminate Polio. What is the story of just one of these workers? Dr. Yakoob Khan, an EPI Coordinator of Swabi in Pakistan was assassinated in the line of duty on 30th November 2015. He came from a very poor family, but worked hard to become educated, and graduate from medical school. He was the sole financial provider for his family, and now he is gone.
Polio Workers face great danger in their line of work; many have lost their lives during the campaigns. Despite grave dangers and threats they face, they continue their mission of polio eradication in Pakistan. Dr. Yaqoob Khan was one such person. The incident occurred on the Zaida Bypass. After hearing the gunshots, people rushed to the spot but the assailants had fled the scene within no time. The EPI chief died on the spot and his cousin Muhammad Irfan, who was driving the vehicle, sustained serious injuries. He was taken to the Bacha Khan Medical Complex and hospitalized. Soon after Dr Yaqoob’s killing, people of his village and doctors of the Bacha Khan Medical Complex placed his body on the Swabi-Jehangira Road to stage a protest and demand the arrest of the killers.
If these people risk the possibility of losing their lives to finish the job of eliminating polio in our world, let's all of us in District 5280 take a stand to stay united in donating as individuals to Polio Plus again this Rotary year. Please consider contributing what Rotary International has asked of each one of us, which is $26.50 from each Rotarian this year. Let's again have 100% of our Rotarians in District 5280 contribute to Polio Plus.
Shirley Giltzow