Road trip builds awareness for polio eradication

An End Polio Now benefit concert held at the concert hall in Lucerne, Switzerland, on 27 October, organized by Rotary clubs in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Director Christine Büring (left) at the benefit concert.

By Christine Büring, Rotary International Director, member of the Rotary Club of Altenburg, Germany

A week dedicated to polio — in lieu of taking a vacation? When End Polio Now Coordinator Christian Schleuss shared this idea, it gained momentum quickly. When he invited me to join, I cleared my calendar. Some members in our district have grown tired of talking about polio, so in our regional plan I set a goal to find new ways of talking about our long-standing effort to eradicate polio. This trip was a chance to accomplish that and be part of Schleuss’ effort.

Our two zones had scheduled to celebrate World Polio Day with events in Switzerland, and I also wanted to get to know the Rotary leadership in Switzerland better, as it falls within my area as an RI director. A whirlwind of activities began 20 October with a visit to Rotary International’s office in Zurich, where we met my friend, Trustee Pearl Okoro from Nigeria — a one-woman End Polio Now movement — where polio is still painfully real.

From there, we traveled to Geneva and visited the World Health Organization (WHO). Polio is a true changemaker. We were reminded how the infrastructure created through the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in 1988 continues to strengthen many other areas of global health. The program built wastewater surveillance systems worldwide, opened doors for other vaccines, fostered trust, and created networks of trained — often female — health workers.

Oliver Rosenbauer, the program’s spokesperson, and Dr. Jamal Ahmed, described the long and powerful list of benefits of this program. I see enormous opportunities for deeper collaboration and will bring that message back to our board. I was deeply moved when WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus took time to meet personally with us and even cut an End Polio Now cake that had been brought for the celebration.

On 24 October, Rotary and Rotaract clubs in Liechtenstein organized a public End Polio Now event in Vaduz. Together we transformed the square in front of the Parliament building. The End Polio Now flag flew alongside the national flag; while information booths, fundraising items like tulips, “polio shots” made of liqueur and chocolate, and grilled sausages drew crowds. The Minister of Health attended, as did local media. Dressed in our red End Polio Now vests, we made for fantastic social media visuals. We shared social posts seen around the world.

Over the course of the week, the 20 some Rotarians from Switzerland and Germany, dressed in red as walking billboards for End Polio Now, became friends. We embodied Rotary’s vision: a world where people learn from one another, take action together, and find deep fulfillment in being part of something larger than themselves.

The week concluded with a training seminar for district End Polio Now coordinators and a magnificent benefit concert at the concert hall in Lucerne. I returned home enriched and inspired. My sincere thanks, as always in Rotary, go to the many hands that organized, hosted, and supported these events. The list is long.

We are writing history. A volunteer organization determined to eradicate a disease and refusing to give up after more than 40 years. We are continually bringing partners to the table and often providing crucial support behind the scenes. That story is a blueprint for why I, as a Rotarian, give my time and resources. Unite for Good works when we are far-sighted and bold, generous and cooperative, persistent and adaptable. And when we continue to speak up for the cause.

I’m proud of who we are, and what we are accomplishing.

To learn more about our polio eradication efforts or make a gift to end polio, visit endpolio.org