Rotarians in Macau gathered over two weekends in October to raise funds to support Rotary International’s efforts to eradicate polio.

On Sunday (20 October), the eight Rotary clubs in Area 1 joined forces to host the End Polio Charity Walk & Run. The event took place at Hac Sa Reservoir Country Park in Coloane and drew more than 300 participants for the 8K run and 3K walk. Bazaar stalls were also set up at the venue, creating a very lively scene.

The Charity Walk & Run was also an opportunity for families to come together and enjoy the beautiful natural surroundings of Coloane. In addition, close to 40 members of Macau Special Olympics joined the walk as well, highlighting Rotary’s focus on DEI.

Video highlights of the End Polio events: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rcmacau/54169548641/

On Saturday (26 October), Macau Rotarians gathered again for the World’s Greatest Meal to Help End Polio. A total of 120 Rotarians, Rotaractors, and Interactors gathered at the popular Tromba Rija restaurant in the iconic Macau Tower.

The Halloween-themed dinner was the perfect opportunity to educate the younger generation about the need to continue the fight against this crippling virus.

District Governor Nigel Lo graced Area 1 with his presence at both fundraisers. A total of US$19,000 was raised and will go to the Rotary International Polio Eradication Fund to support global polio eradication efforts. Together with the matching fund from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the two events successfully raised US$57,000 to end polio!

Today, polio remains endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan. But Gaza recently reported its first polio case in 25 years – a 10-month-old boy paralysed in one leg. This underscores the importance of continuing efforts to keep other countries polio-free. If all eradication efforts were to stop now, polio could paralyse up to 200,000 children a year within 10 years.

All countries will remain at risk of polio until the disease is eradicated from the world. Until then, the best way for countries to minimise the risk and consequences of polio infection is to maintain high levels of community immunity through high immunisation coverage and strong disease surveillance to detect and respond quickly to polio.

Rotary International officially launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in 1988 and works with the World Health Organization, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) to immunize children in need around the world.

In 2013, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world’s largest philanthropic foundation, joined the effort and pledged US$2 for every US$1 raised by Rotary clubs to eradicate polio. To date, Rotarians have contributed more than US$2.1 billion and countless volunteer hours to immunise more than 3 billion children worldwide, reducing polio cases by 99.9%.