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Vol.64, Issue 8
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February 2014
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WHAT’S INSIDE
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11 13 11 13 18 22 28
Editor’s Letter In My Thoughts Understanding Why Polio? Pick of the Month
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WHAT’S INSIDE
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39 56 34 39 56 58 62 65
Three Rules of Retirement Global Outlook Vision Dynamics An Eye Opener to Empowerment A Compassionate Touch Cattle Ground
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WHAT’S INSIDE
ADVISORY BOARD RID P.T. Prabhakar
RI Dist. 3230
PRIP Rajendra K. Saboo
RI Dist. 3080
PRIP Kalyan Banerjee
RI Dist. 3060
PRID Ashok Mahajan
RI Dist. 3140
PRID Yash Pal Das
RI Dist. 3080
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RI Dist. 3291
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RI Dist. 3262
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Radhe Shyam Rathi
RI Dist. 3053
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Hari Krishna Chitipothu
RI Dist. 3150
Rtn. T.K. Balakrishnan
RI Dist. 3230
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RI Dist. 3190
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RI Dist. 3261
PDG Ramesh Aggarwal
RI Dist. 3010
COMMITTEES DG Vinod Bansal - Finance Committee DG Deepak Shikarpur - Editorial Committee DG Anil Agarwal - Marketing Committee DG Mohan Mulherkar - Marketing Committee
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Editor Rtn. T.K. Balakrishnan
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Assistant Editors Jaishree S. Selvi Sub Editor Kiran Zehra
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Pick of the Month The Affable God Pineapple - The Tropical Healing Food
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ROTARY NEWS ROTARY SAMACHAR
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1/28/2014 1:00:59 PM
Time to let go
B
ertrand Russell said, “The only thing that will redeem mankind is co-operation.” But we have seen that people like nonsense. For many, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient for living to many people. They enjoy looking at life through the wrong end of the telescope. Co-operation is a personal act of courage; something one human does that creates change in another. When there is co-operation, there is happiness in all what you do in the club or any association you belong to. “We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognising and appreciating what we do have,” said Frederick Koenig. Denis Waitley once said, “Happiness cannot be travelled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude.” Renowned world leaders have always understood the value of humanity and have always stressed on co-operation. “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world,” said Desmond Tutu.
EDITOR’S LETTER
A renowned author and psychologist wrote that the ability to co-operate with others is a lost art for many. Yet the skill to co-operate is connected to greater happiness, better relationships and increased productivity. He wrote that balancing inner, other and outer focus are keys to success. Inner focus involves paying attention to our values, intuition, and ways of responding, other focus translates to presence and empathy for others, and outer focus refers to being aware of systems and trends in society. One key to finding that balance is understanding how our minds and hearts work. This understanding will lead to co-operation. Socrates showed us that thinking the truth is not enough. Truth demands to be lived. In Rotary ‘The 4-Way Test’ is the foundation for co-operation. There is more wisdom, common sense and inspiration in this beautiful message than in any saying or proverb you might have read in a long time. It can change the way you think about life and those around you. The only thing that needs to be done is to follow that Test in everyday life. Members are constantly watching how the principles are followed. When there is a shift, that is when members begin to think, “It is time to let go.”
Rtn. T.K. Balakrishnan FEBRUARY 2014 ROTARY NEWS 11
Reactions L ETT E R S F R O M R EA D E R S
Triggering thoughts I read with interest the ‘Editor’s Letter’ titled ‘Fences around the mind’ in January 2014 issue. I really liked the lines in the last paragraph, which I think should be thought and followed by all. The fabulous coverage of the ‘Rotary South Asia Literacy Summit’ is worth mentioning. Rtn. S.S. Venkatachalam RC Chennai Port City RI District 3230 Editor’s letter, ‘Fences around the mind’ in January 2014 issue has a universal truth in it. If human mind comes out of the man-made fences webbed around themselves, everyone can get heavenly enjoyments. Rtn. Ashok Suneja RC Delhi Rhythm RI District 3010 It was wonderful to read your Editorial ‘Shake the World’ in the September 2013 issue of Rotary News, highlighting the power of an individual Rotarian, irrespective of a post or position, to deliver her/his service to do good in the world. This kind of write-up inspires us, and opens our minds to newer thoughts and ideas. Rtn. Dr. Mainak Mukherjee RC Burdwan Greater RI District 3240 The Editor’s Letter, ‘Shake the World’ was an excellent message for bringing out
the leadership qualities in the Rotarians. I congratulate the editor for bringing out a fantastic magazine. Rtn. S. Natarajan RC Koothapakkam RI District 2980 Size is the issue Article on ‘Size Wise’ in September 2013 issue was an eye opener for young Rotarians like me who aspire to undertake leadership positions at club and district levels in the future. Rtn R. Murali Krishna RC Berhampur RI District 3262 Illuminate lives, not buildings I saw the appeal for ‘Illuminating the Iconic Buildings’ in October 2013 issue. Certainly as proud Rotarians from India we have all the rights to celebrate this occasion as we are now declared ‘Polio-free’ nation. I feel that instead of spending money for illuminating the buildings we can donate this amount to The Rotary Foundation. Rtn. Sarva Sukh Acharya RC Nagpur Mihan Town RI District 3030 Accolades and more... I am a proud subscriber of Rotary News magazine for more than a decade and the information I learned from our magazine about our Rotary movement and various other diversified topics are great. I would say our magazine is an encyclopaedia. The culture article in October 2013 issue with beautiful
photographs has stolen our heart. It was very interesting to know about many details which were unknown to even the local people in Panruti. Rtn. K. Muthukumarappan RC Panruti RI District 2980 I am totally impressed with your editorial, ‘A thousand and one surprises’ in November 2013 issue of Rotary News, where you have expressed the role of club leaders in discovering the talents of members and providing them the apt opportunities. Rtn. R. Srinivasan RC Madurai Midtown RI District 3000 I appreciate your letter ‘A thousand and one surprises’ in the Rotary News in November 2013 issue which talks on the various qualities expected from club leaders. It is informative and educative, especially for a new member like me. Can we look forward to more such interesting letters in the coming issues? Rtn. C.P. Gopinathan RC Wadakkancherry RI District 3201 Your November 2013 editorial is a mirror image of some of the Rotary clubs. Such topics should be given prime attention to take Rotary to the highest position. Rtn. Dr. Baban Kakodkar RC Ponda RI District 3170
The editor welcomes brief comments on the contents of the magazine, but reserves the right to edit submissions for style and length. Published letters do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors or the R I leadership, nor do the editors take responsibility for errors of fact that may be expressed by the writers. Only letters that include a verifiable name, address and day and evening phone numbers can be considered for publication. Readers are our source of encouragement. Some of our esteemed patrons share their valuable feedback….
In My Thoughts Dear Fellow Rotarians, It was 109 years ago this month that Paul Harris and three of his friends founded the first Rotary club. His goal was simple: to create an oasis of friendship amid a city of strangers, with those who shared his values. Over time, the philosophy of Rotary developed and matured, and Rotarian ideals expanded to include service, vocational ethics and international understanding. As Rotary grew and spread, Paul Harris envisioned a world in which conflict would ultimately melt away — a world where personal connections and acceptance of differences would relegate war to history. If people could only come together in a spirit of friendship and tolerance, he felt, they would soon realise how much they had in common. Paul Harris was fortunate in his lifetime to see the Rotary idea take hold and establish itself in dozens of countries around the world. Every week, in 34,000 communities, his vision lives on in every Rotary club meeting. But nowhere in the world does Paul Harris’ vision take life as vividly as it does at our annual Rotary International convention. At a convention, for a few short days, we see the world as Paul Harris imagined it: a world where men and women from every corner of the globe come together, to build peace, to serve others and simply to enjoy one another’s company. Differences of background, politics, culture and religion are woven together, all part of one bright tapestry. It is an unforgettable experience, one that Jetta and I look forward to every year. Every convention is different, and every one becomes a memory that we cherish. This year, I will have the tremendous privilege of presiding over the 105th Rotary International Convention in Sydney, 1–4 June. Sydney is a vibrant international hub, a gateway between East and West, and a wonderfully appropriate city to host a Rotary convention. It is amazingly diverse, rich in culture and history, and one of my favourite cities to visit; at once exciting and relaxed, it is a place where I know I will always feel at home — and always find something new to see and do. In 2014, Rotary members will gather to say G’day from Sydney. We will come together as friends and Rotarians, to reach out to the world and to one another, in an environment where all are welcome. I hope you will join us as we celebrate our successes, look to the future, and discover new ways to Engage Rotary, Change Lives.
Ron D. Burton President, Rotary International
District Wise Contribution Totals to The Rotary Foundation as on December 31, 2013 (in US Dollars)
District Number
APF
2980 3000 3010 3020 3030 3040 3051 3052 3053 3060 3070 3080 3090 3100 3110 3120 3131 3132 3140 3150 3160 3170 3180 3190 3201 3202 3211 3212 3230 3240 3250 3261 3262 3291 India India Total
48,580 10,572 2,69,315 14,970 1,921 36,980 0 98,000 2,000 32,048 13,201 9,005 1,735 59,472 56,661 14,084 1,51,711 34,190 2,74,843 44,285 6,200 21,507 40,818 1,15,620 12,483 46,083 38,627 17,904 60,837 79,047 8,488 22,143 24,225 63,172
PolioPlus*
Other Restricted
3220
45,083
3271
41,741
3272
15,367
3281 3282
55,024 2,800
India 4,744 0 475 0 308 3,928 0 102 0 23,974 156 4,953 0 4,824 0 34,977 0 0 0 10,385 1,502 5,900 3,311 420 4,787 0 0 18,371 1,505 0 0 0 2,69,789 2,73,700 1,639 1,770 1,902 33,125 1,405 17,062 33 0 357 2,223 419 4,030 0 74,859 7,150 860 205 0 52,129 (500) 1,610 0 4,671 18,846 1,600 0 6,176 100 0 0 0 0 0 24,372 10,00,000 13,65,873 5,58,283 Sri Lanka 1,671 18,121 Pakistan 0 3,165 Pakistan & Afghanistan 0 2,519 Bangladesh 12,113 (4,869) 0 4,500
50,879 19,41,618 4,95,18,206
Nepal 50 11,580 13,79,707 5,93,298 1,81,76,460 64,71,062
3292 South Asia Total World Total
17,30,725
* Excludes Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Endowment Fund 6,600 0 51,316 1,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2,741 2,033 12,500 77,558 0 50,000 705 24,764 0 0 1,000 408 41,474 130 1 0 8,500 0
Total Contributions
2,80,729
59,924 11,047 3,24,866 16,072 25,896 42,088 4,824 1,32,977 2,000 42,432 20,602 12,736 6,522 77,843 58,166 14,084 6,97,941 39,633 3,22,370 1,40,310 6,233 74,088 45,972 2,15,243 20,493 46,288 91,256 19,921 1,25,828 80,777 14,766 22,143 32,725 87,544 10,00,000 39,35,610
1,000
65,874
3,187
48,094
0
17,885
1,000 0
63,268 7,300
0 2,85,916 1,35,81,270
62,508 42,00,539 8,77,46,999
Source: RI South Asia Office
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First Thought My dear Partners in Service, On February 23, 2014, Rotary will complete 109 years of service to the communities of the world! February has been designated as “World Understanding Month.” Let us use this month to promote peace, goodwill and understanding among the people of the world. I earnestly request the Rotary clubs to plan and execute projects and programmes with this in mind. At this juncture I would like to quote the words of Sri. S. Radhakrishnan, former President of India — “Our generation should not go down in the history of mankind as the one which split the atom or the one which invented the nuclear weapons. We should rather go down in the history of mankind as the generation which brought the international communities together.” Rotary today is the most universal of the free institutions and a leading force in the fulfillment of a better and peaceful world. World understanding generated by its large network of clubs is like a dome of many coloured glass which enhances the radiance of Rotary. Rotary shall remain while Rotarians shall pass, offering living proof of the unity of all humanity. Rotary is essentially synergistic — the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Rotarians working together joining hands in mutual efforts can achieve objectives which will be unreachable if attempted alone. Rotarians are privileged to be part of an organisation whose strength flows from the recognition that mankind is one, that a smile is the same in every language and that peace is indispensible for raising the level of life, material as well as moral. It was a great pleasure to have RIPE Gary Huang and Lady Corinna visiting various cities in India between December 20–27, 2013. Nalini and I had the pleasure of accompanying them to medical camps in Delhi (where Gary and Corinna had the pleasure giving polio drops to children) Jaipur, Bangalore and Vapi. It was heartening to see the excellent Rotary projects in all these places and RIPE Gary was very impressed with the work of Rotary in India. History is going to be created on January 13, 2014 when, God willing , India will be declared polio-free! Nalini and I will be at the International Assembly, San Diego between January 11–19, 2014, where, we will have the opportunity of celebrating India’s great victory over polio, on January 13, 2014, with world leaders of Rotary! It is also time for us to register for the Sydney Convention, slated for June 1–4, 2014. The registrations are pouring in and more than 17,000 Rotarians from around the world are expected to attend. Have you and your spouse registered? Say ‘Yes’ to Sydney.
Rtn. P.T. Prabhakar RI Director, 2013–15
We are formed as notes of music are For one another, though dissimilar Let us live and act and serve the future hour Through love, through hope and through Rotary’s transcended power! Yours in Rotary,
P.T. Prabhakar Director Rotary International (2013–15) FEBRUARY 2014 ROTARY NEWS 15
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Membership in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives Rotary No. of Women Rotaract Interact RI RI Zone District Clubs Rotarians Rotarians
5 5 4 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 6 6 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
2980 3000 3010 3020 3030 3040 3051 3052 3053 3060 3070 3080 3090 3100 3110 3120 3131 3132 3140 3150 3160 3170 3180 3190 3201 3202 3211 3212 3220 3230 3240 3250 3261 3262 3271 3272 3281 3282 3291 3292 Total
153 88 132 65 86 94 64 63 50 79 113 83 75 89 112 68 103 71 133 94 57 127 134 88 125 98 125 81 61 124 72 88 72 68 75 86 124 81 145 86 3,732
6,228 4,085 5,372 3,066 4,498 2,091 2,517 3,234 1,781 3,443 3,284 3,267 1,988 1,996 3,464 2,512 4,403 3,055 7,000 3,497 2,075 4,836 5,427 3,600 4,741 3,784 3,828 3,530 1,707 5,883 2,571 3,151 2,204 2,531 1,361 1,819 3,706 2,263 4,115 2,750 1,36,663
105 292 569 176 436 218 177 412 147 245 254 161 81 105 174 159 599 238 909 272 75 229 217 249 263 180 166 117 200 359 236 345 154 199 168 265 362 157 593 299 10,562
56 112 47 27 38 16 33 20 9 27 37 38 14 7 40 19 39 25 89 50 4 22 34 39 47 39 4 4 55 88 34 29 12 18 28 11 141 109 36 87 1,584
250 231 171 172 171 79 115 120 28 96 115 139 27 81 37 30 154 81 333 150 37 250 352 99 75 334 55 122 180 327 107 104 95 57 15 34 42 17 92 83 5,057
RCC
183 67 80 258 120 131 328 116 89 99 55 95 122 146 59 48 62 52 134 107 80 153 140 41 43 36 111 115 93 268 107 158 40 63 13 31 94 36 506 82 4,561
As on January 1, 2014 Source: RI South Asia Office
CONVENTION
VIVID SYDNEY
M
usical performances, largescale light installations, and a mammoth “ideas exchange” will attract more than half a million people to Sydney’s 2014 Vivid festival, and Rotarians attending the 2014 RI Convention 1–4 June will be right where the action is. First held in 2009, Vivid Sydney runs this year from 23 May to 9 June and is billed as a festival of light, music and ideas. Light: The festival’s interactive light displays transform the city’s parks and landmarks into continually changing works of illuminated art. Trees blossom at night. Sculptures appear out of thin air. Buildings become interactive canvases where passersby can create their own art. Darling Harbour is transformed into a water theatre. Music: Events at the Sydney Opera House and other venues throughout the city will showcase local and international artists. Ideas: For Rotarians, Vivid offers a variety of ways to extend the power of the convention by making more connections, hearing talks by more experts, and exchanging ideas with more professionals in the arts, architecture, business, education, technology and other spheres. Learn more at www.vividsydney.com. Reproduced from The Rotarian Register for the 2014 RI Convention in Sydney at www.riconvention.org. FEBRUARY 2014 ROTARY NEWS 17
WORLD UNDERSTANDING
To understand, find the truth.
A
ll the great philosophers have said one thing in common. It is, “The unwillingness to understand is what causes conflict and misery in this world.” People around the world in every organisation, including service oriented organisations and NGOs have been alarmed at the rise of the fallacy. ”Beware of mistruths,”say people who are crusaders of peace. Why do people easily swallow wrong information and impressions? Because it requires no effort. But, to understand a person, you have to make a sincere effort, investigate and remove the chaff from the grain. Albert Einstein said, “Any fool can know. The point is to understand.” The Dalai Lama said, “Only the development of compassion and 18 ROTARY NEWS FEBRUARY 2014
understanding for others can bring us the tranquility and happiness we all seek.” Scientists tell that man is not a single organism, but comprises of a multiple micro-organisms. The well being of each of these micro-organisms determine the mood and sanity of the host, that is, the human being. English poet John Donne wrote, “No man is an island; entire of itself ... any man’s death diminishes me because I am involved in mankind.” What this means is that every human being is part of the world. Every human being is part of the organisation to which he or she belongs. Hence, no part can be severed without damaging the whole. Those who have understood this reality work for sustaining the
integrated unity of life on this planet. Those who do not want to understand create an unpleasant atmosphere and when this escalates, nations go to war. World understanding means that we have to respect interdependence. Religious thinkers have been engaged in ceaseless debate over the essence of human identity. Service organisations that were born from religious schools were based on the principle of understanding the suffering of people. “I call him religious who understands the suffering of others,” said Mahatma Gandhi. American author Thomas Pynchon asks, “Why should things be easy to understand?” Since most people just do not go that extra mile to connect with
others and understand, they just do not hear conflicting views or dig up real data before synthesising their own view of the world or people. People give credence to flawed analysis of things and events because someone else said so or because they perceive things in a manner that is presented to them. Both are wrong. The World Understanding Month being observed by the Rotary world aims to tell people not to pass through the present world with their eyes blindfolded. The essence of this month is probably told aptly by the American writer Joss Whedon who said, “Because it’s no longer enough to be a decent person. It’s no longer enough to shake our heads and make concerned grimaces at the news. True enlightened activism is the only thing that can save humanity from itself.” This is the essence of understanding. Understanding leads to cultivating compassion. A great thinker said, “So here is the situation: the brain we have
Take time to understand.
inherited from millions of years of evolution is both a gift and a curse, if not understood and used wisely. But if we can come to understand why and how to cultivate compassion within us, we can begin to become the people we want to be.” Breaking out of the anger loop and hatred for others is the key to cultivating compassion. But compassion isn’t always easy. Understanding people is “Sensitivity to suffering with a commitment to try to alleviate and prevent that suffering.” This is what the World Understanding Month teaches. “The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others,” said the famous German philosopher Albert Schweitzer. Life is really simple. But many people insist on making it complicated by refusing to understand others. Rtn. T.K. Balakrishnan
FEBRUARY 2014 ROTARY NEWS 19
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
The last hurdle In 1985, we made a promise. We promised that we would eradicate polio, no matter how long it took. We have never backed away from that promise, even though the job has been much harder, and taken much longer, than we first thought. Because of Rotary and its partners, the world has seen a 99 percent drop in the number of polio cases: from 3,50,000 children paralysed every year to 223 in 2012. This progress is significant. We are now combating an outbreak of polio in the Horn of Africa. Cases of polio were found in Syria. We all recognise that this presents a new and significant challenge to the process of eradication. The political and humanitarian situation in Syria is difficult, and responding to this outbreak will be difficult as well. We have been told many times that we cannot end polio, that we will never do it. But we know better. We will conquer this challenge, as we have conquered so many before. We will stop these new outbreaks. And we will continue to fight polio until we have reached every last child. To do all this requires tremendous resources. Right now, we have a funding gap of US $1.5 billion over the next five years. To eradicate polio, that gap must be filled. We are not alone in this fight. We will not be the only ones to help find these new funds. This must be the responsibility of every country and every government. A polio-free world is within our grasp. All of us must be ambassadors for polio eradication. Every Rotarian should lead by example by making a donation. And we need to make sure that every Rotarian, in every Rotary club, understands that we are truly this close to ending polio — and that every Rotarian understands that this is our chance to make history together. If we can summon the will and the determination in this final hour, we will have written Rotary into the pages of history forever.
Dong Kurn (D.K.) Lee Foundation Trustee Chair 20 ROTARY NEWS FEBRUARY 2014
Adv_Kich Steel.indd Sec1:21
25-11-2013 18:09:14
In the early years of the epidemic, two-year-old Regina peers out from her iron lung at the Southwestern Poliomyelitis Centre in Houston, Texas, USA. 22 ROTARY NEWS FEBRUARY 2014
The story behind Rotary’s determination to end a cruel disease.
I
Photo courtesy of March of Dimes
t was April 1979, and Clem Renouf, then RI President, was leafing through Reader’s Digest on a flight from the Philippines. In the pages of the magazine, he read that smallpox had been eradicated for a little more than the cost of the two Australian naval vessels he’d seen the day before. He’d just been in Manila formalising agreements to launch the first project under The Rotary Foundation’s Health, Hunger and Humanity (3-H) Grants programme, and now Renouf was wondering if these new grants could enable Rotary to tackle another disease with similar success. He called his friend John Sever. Sever was a District Governor in the Washington, D.C., area and head of the infectious diseases branch of the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Diseases and Stroke at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Renouf had met him six months prior, when Sever had arranged for him to speak with contacts in the State Department before his first major trip as Rotary President, to West Africa. “I didn’t expect a doctor to be so business-like, but he changed that misconception,” Renouf says. “So when I had this bright idea, it was natural I’d seek John’s advice.” As a researcher, Sever was immersed in studies of infectious diseases that affect children, such as measles, and vaccine development. His professional
goal was to identify new causes of disease and bring vaccines to the children of the world. He was keenly aware that smallpox — a scourge especially rampant in developing countries — had just been eradicated, the first disease to be halted through a concerted public health effort. Sever also was friends with Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin, the men who had revolutionised public health with their development of the polio vaccines in the 1950s and ’60s. The vaccines already were stopping polio in the developed world; the United States would see its last case of endemic polio later in 1979. Sever recognised that Sabin’s oral vaccine, available for only 4 cents per dose, had the potential to save more than 3,50,000 children every year from the crippling disease all over the world, if only someone could organise the effort. After Renouf’s phone call inquiring about which diseases to target, Sever consulted with Sabin. A few weeks later, he mailed Renouf a letter with his recommendation: “If a single vaccine were to be selected for the 3-H programme, I would recommend poliomyelitis.” The 3-H programme was in its infancy. It was the first time Rotary had committed to new projects beyond the capacity of any one club or district. While the first project, which began in September 1979, focused on bringing polio vaccine to children in the Philippines, the programme as a whole was intended to improve health, relieve hunger and enhance human and social development. Rotary had never had a single corporate cause of this kind. “The important thing was to get the polio vaccine from the manufacturers to the people who needed it,” Sever recalls. “I knew that Rotarians were a big international army of volunteers. They could work with the governments of the world to assist with immunisation and provide financial support and social mobilisation.” Renouf credits Sever, a member of the Rotary Club of Potomac, Md., for FEBRUARY 2014 ROTARY NEWS 23
The oral vaccine had the potential to save more than 3,50,000 children every year all over the world.
A young patient arrives at the offices of the International Polio Victims Response Committee in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 24 ROTARY NEWS FEBRUARY 2014
convincing Rotary’s leaders that the organisation could tackle the disease. “Most would have dismissed it as an impossible dream, beyond our capacity financially or organisationally, as did many former leaders,” Renouf says. “But here was a Rotarian uniquely qualified — a senior scientist with an appreciation of Rotary’s potential, who by virtue of his reputation personally and professionally was able to persuade the 1979–80 Board to adopt the goal of a polio-free world as the major emphasis of the 3-H programme.” The son of a Chicago physician, Sever remembers his father caring for children with polio. At that time, he says, “you could buy polio insurance for your newborn.” He recalls Sundays in Chicago, when families would go to particular schools or other public facilities for vaccine clinics. “That was called Sabin on Sunday — SOS — the equivalent to what we now call National Immunisation Days.” Sever trained at Northwestern University as a paediatrician and earned a Ph.D. in Microbiology. At NIH and later at the Children’s National Medical
Umar, son of the founder and Chair of the Kano State Polio Victims Trust Association in Nigeria, is one of seven children, and the only one with polio.
Centre, he worked as a scientist who also saw patients, a vaccine expert who understood social outreach, and a medical administrator who knew the politics of public health. These skills would come into play over the next three decades as Sever, along with many other Rotarians, inspired and led the global health community in its dogged struggle against a crippling disease. When 1984–85 RI President Carlos Canseco took office, he appointed a committee to create a long-term strategy to immunise all the children of the world against polio by Rotary’s 100th anniversary. Sever served as Chair of this Polio 2005 Committee, which developed the plan for Rotary to
provide polio vaccine and support to any country that needed assistance. (In 1995, he was appointed to that group’s present incarnation, the International PolioPlus Committee, on which he has served as Vice Chair of medical affairs since 2006.) Along with Canseco and Sever, Sabin and Herbert Pigman, then RI General Secretary, were members of the Polio 2005 Committee. “It was these four men, I believe, who were primarily responsible for translating a dream into reality,” Renouf has said. In his role, Sever became Rotary’s point man on the polio project and spokesman to the outside world. One of his first challenges was to create a partnership with the World Health Organisation. Officials at the organisation’s
Sever became Rotary’s point man on the polio project. FEBRUARY 2014 ROTARY NEWS 25
This Bangladeshi mother and polio survivor begs for food on the streets of Dhaka alongside her sleeping baby.
headquarters were skeptical, unsure that the Rotarians knew what they were up against, Sever says. “With Canseco, we had to hold a lot of cocktail hours with WHO members at the Inter-Continental Hotel in Geneva. They received us politely, but they didn’t think any nongovernmental organisation could go the distance.” With Sever’s help, Rotary received a special designation as a nongovernmental organisation affiliated with WHO and forged an official partnership with the agency. That partnership, 26 ROTARY NEWS FEBRUARY 2014
now known as the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, includes the spearheading partners WHO, Rotary International, the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and UNICEF. Other important sources of support include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and national governments. One of the group’s recent accomplishments was working with the government of India to make the country polio-free. In 2012, when WHO presented the Indian Prime Minister with a letter recognising this
achievement, he thanked Rotary and the other partners. “I was ecstatic,” Sever says. Sever is a clear and direct spokesman, as befits a dedicated scientist, but he’s also modest. When he receives praise for his vision and years of nonstop work on behalf of polio eradication, he waves it away like a village health worker swatting at flies. “It wasn’t just me,” he insists. “Many, many others were involved.” After 47 years at NIH and the Children’s National Medical Centre, Sever
With the end in sight, now is the time to bear down.
works part time at the National Cancer Institute. Today, at an energetic 81, he continues to travel the world for the campaign he inspired 34 years ago, now 99 percent complete. “This last little piece is the hardest part,” he says. Sever’s dual role as a Rotarian and respected scientist has proved “invaluable” to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, says Hamid Jafari, the campaign’s director at WHO. “He’s a bridge between the world of science and the technical areas of public health that WHO and CDC scientists deal
with, and the world of Rotary. Rotarians look up to him for validation of the science, of the technical strategies, of the research we have. So his word is important.” When the campaign switched from the trivalent vaccine to the monovalent and bivalent versions to concentrate on the remaining types of poliovirus, Sever was among those who helped build confidence in that strategy. “John was right there,” Jafari says. “He understood the science, he understood the value of the change, and he was right there championing this as a strategic shift in the programme.” This past spring, Sever took part in several press conferences to announce the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s 2013–18 Strategic Plan. The plan lays out a blueprint for eradication in the last three polio-endemic countries — Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan — and certification of a polio-free world by 2018. “It was important to have him there because he first spoke to the fundraising and advocacy strategy, the feasibility of financing this plan upfront, and then he spoke to the technical rigor and scientific basis of the document,” Jafari says. “You have one person who is speaking on both aspects. To have that facility, when you have the New York Times or Washington Post or
other important press persons in the room, was helpful.” Health ministers at the World Health Assembly in 2012 raised the polio eradication campaign to “emergency” status, an official designation meant to drive the political will to get necessary funding. Television and print campaigns such as the End Polio Now “This Close” ads, featuring notable figures like Bill Gates and Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, also raise public consciousness and support. The final push will be costly: $5.5 billion, which will come from a combination of donations, NGO contributions and funds from national governments. The money will fund not only the interruption of wild poliovirus transmission but also the intensive three-year surveillance period after the last case is reported, necessary for the world to be certified polio-free. With the end in sight, now is the time to bear down, Sever says. “Rotarians get fatigued. The governments in countries that now have very little polio get fatigued. They sometimes say, ‘Why don’t you help with measles or parasites or something else?’ Even if we sometimes merge polio immunisation with these other efforts, we’re here to eradicate polio. We’re not here to switch to another programme. Now is the time to stay focused.” “The polio eradication programme is where it is today,” Renouf says, “because of the contribution of some remarkable people — none more so than John. At a crucial time, he had the knowledge and experience and ability to breathe life into a nebulous idea and provide the leadership needed to reach a historic goal. I just hope he is on stage when that announcement is made, to receive the recognition he deserves.”
By Peter Ross Range Additional Reporting by Diana Schoberg Reproduced from The Rotarian FEBRUARY 2014 ROTARY NEWS 27
ANKLESHWAR UDHAMPUR SAHARANPUR GREATER RAJPURA GREATER MORADABAD MIDTOWN SHAHJAHANPUR VARANASI CENTRAL PANVEL MIDTOWN SOLAPUR NORTH KAMAREDDY ANANTAPUR CENTRAL PANAJI RIVIERA SHIMOGA RIVERSIDE KOTHAMANGALAM TIRUPUR METROPOLIS KOTTAYAM CENTRAL VALLIYOOR CENTRAL MADRAS SOUTH RANIGANJ KODERMA BHUBANESWAR NEW HORIZON CALCUTTA RIDGE KATHMANDU MIDTOWN CHIDAMBARAM MIDTOWN JAMBUKESHWARAM CHANDRAPUR JODHPUR VAPI RIVERSIDE AMRITSAR EAST MOHALI AGRA WEST AHMEDNAGAR PRIYADARSHINI MUMBAI NORTH ISLAND GUNTAKAL QUILON CASHEW CITY MARTHANDAM MARAIMALAI NAGAR KUMBAKONAM SHAKTHI DINDIGUL VIZAG METRO AKOLA GODHRA MIDTOWN FEBRUARY 2014 NOKHA BARODA JALANDAR SOUTH ROOPNAGAR RAJPURA GREATER MORADABAD CIVIL LINES HALDWANI VARANASI SUNRISE PUNE SPORTS CITY LONAND DOMBIVLI WEST KAMAREDDY DHONE ANKOLA RURAL KUNDAPURA MIDTOWN COCHIN AIRPORT TIRUPUR COTTON CITY Su Mo TuCOSMOPOLITAN We Th Fr Sa UPTOWN QUILON LOTUS RAJAPALAYAM CENTRAL VELLORE SOUTH DURGAPUR JAMSHEDPUR WEST RAIPUR CALCUTTA BUTWAL SALEM COSMOS THURAIYUR PERUMALMALAI VIJAYAWADA VISIONARY COUPLES NAGPUR SOUTH EAST VISNAGAR GANDEVI RAJOURI FATEHABAD GREATER GANGA BIJNOR BAREILLY SOUTH PUNE KOTHRUD SOLAPUR NORTH POWAI WARANGAL RASIPURAM 1 TIRUCHIRAPALLI REWARI MAIN ANAKAPALLE JALGAON INDORE MEGHDOOT AHMEDABAD MIDTOWN GWALIOR VEERANGANA VAPI RIVERSIDE JULLUNDUR DEHRADUN WEST RAJPURA GANGA BIJNOR AGRA HERITAGE VARANASI CENTRAL POONA MIDTOWN MADHA THANE HILLS WARANGAL TADPATRI PANA JI RIVIERA MANGALORE SOUTH BANGALORE SADASHIVANAGAR KOTHAMANGALAM TIRUPUR 8 INFOCITY 7 6 CENTRAL 5 GAYA 4 3 GANDHINAGAR QUILON NORTH NAGERCOIL CENTRAL MADRAS CENTRAL AADITHYA 2BURDWAN GREATER BHUBANESWAR CENTRAL CALCUTTA DHULIKHEL SALEM TEXCITY DINDIGUL VIJAYAWADA CHANDRAPUR CAMBAY LUDHIANA GREATER KARNAL MIDTOWN NABHA BAREILLY CENTRAL BAGALKOT BUTWAL KOMARAPALAYAM PERAMBALUR VUYYURU CHANDRAPUR 15TILAK ROAD 13 14PUNE 11 12BAHRAICH 10 METRO BIKANER BHAVNAGAR UDHAMPUR BHAKRA NANGAL SRI GANGANAGAR KHURJA 9 BAREILLY WAI BOMBAY JUHU BEACH SATTENAPALLI RAICHUR KARW AR BELUR CHANNAPATTANA COCHIN VYPIN ISLANDS TIRUPUR WEST QUILON LOTUS TINNEVELLY VANDAVASI GREATER TEZPUR RANCHI SAMBALPUR WEST CALCUTTA MID SOUTH BUTWAL HOSUR 22 20 21 RAJPURA 19 ROORKEE 17 18 CITY 16 LUDHIANA PERIYAKULAM RAJAHMUNDRY RIVER CITY AKOLA BIKANER MARUDHARA SURAT EAST PUNE SHIVAJINAGAR MUMBAI GHATKOPAR WARANGAL GUNTAKAL SANGLI KOMARAPALAYAM KARUR ANGELS SONEPAT UPTOWN ICHAPURAM JALGAON GOLD CITY INDORE MEGHDOOT PALANPUR CITY JAIPUR GWALIOR VEERANGANA SHINDKHEDA UDHAMPUR ROOPNAGAR 27 28BOMBAY MID CITY 26CENTRAL 24 25 23 EAST RAJPURA MORADABAD CIVIL LINES HALDWANI Compiled by Kiran Zehra BAHRAICH PUNE JALNA WARANGAL TADIPATRI HONAVAR SHIRVA PUNGANUR CENTRAL COCHIN VYPIN ISLAND SAKTHINAGAR ALLEPPEY EAST GOLDEN RAMNAD GUWAHATI DAMODAR VALLEY KORBA BHUBANESWAR FRIENDS SALT LAKE METROPOLITAN BUTWAL PONDICHERRY BEACH TOWN PUDUKKOTTAI PALACE CITY BHUSAWAL LUDHIANA NORTH FARIDABAD CENTRAL MATHURA CENTRAL SANGOLA ULHASNAGAR MIDTOWN SALT LAKE CITY AARCH CITY MADRAS MANNARGUDI MADURAI NORTHWEST FARIDABAD MIDTOWN
ick P OF THE MONTH
RC KOTTAI PATTUKKOTTAI RI District 2980 The club observed World Sports Day to promote sports among the younger generation. Mini marathon was the highlight for the school children.
RC PRINCESS PUDUKKOTTAI RI District 3000 In order to create and spread awareness about diabetes among the villagers the club conducted a diabetic friendly cooking competition at Uppilikudi village in association with the Primary Health Centre.
RC DELHI RI District 3010 The club along with Delhi High Court conducted a blood donation camp at their premises. Judges, advocates and staff of the Delhi High Court took part in this noble cause.
28 ROTARY NEWS FEBRUARY 2014
NTRAL GALAM RIZON RSIDE W CITY RODA S CITY N CITY TOWN NDEVI URAM VAPI MADHA RUPUR OCITY EATER RAPUR ROAD WEST OSUR PUNE URAM AGAR D CITY AGAR UTWAL NTRAL TOWN
RC VIJAYAWADA RI District 3020 The club organised a mega health camp in association with Vasavya Mahila Mandali. The club rendered various medical service to 800 beneficiaries and medicines worth Rs.1,00,000 were also distributed to the patients.
RC BHUSAWAL RI District 3030 The club organised a vocational award ceremony and the awards were distributed at the hands of Rtn. Sanjay Savkare, Minister for Agriculture, Government of Maharashtra, India.
RC INDORE MEGHDOOT RI District 3040 The club along with RC Maheshwar and clubs from RI Districts 6250, 6270, 7120, 7170 and TRF handed over “Women Empowerment Training and Production Centre” to Jhoole, an organisation that imparts vocational training to poor women.
RC PALANPUR CITY RI District 3051 The club provided 200 poor women with new saris. The sari would also serve as a gift of dignity to these women.
FEBRUARY 2014 ROTARY NEWS 29
RC SRIMADHOPUR SUNRISE RI District 3052 Sweaters with the Rotary monogram embroidered on it were distributed to 115 poor students studying at different government schools in the region to combat the cold.
RC LADNUN RI District 3053 In its move to provide better vision to the poor and needy the club conducted a free eye camp. The camp had 350 patients checked and 88 cataract operations were performed.
RC RAJKOT RI District 3060 In order to enhance the image of Rotary among the younger generation the club conducted “Battle of Minds� quiz competition for 22 English Medium schools in Rajkot. Winners were felicitated.
RC PHAGWARA MIDTOWN RI District 3070 Sweaters, shoes and stationery were distributed to the students of the Government Primary School, Mandi Road in Phagwara. This would assist the children to come to school without any hassle.
30 ROTARY NEWS FEBRUARY 2014
RC JIND MIDTOWN RI District 3080 Poor labourers received a huge relief from the cold in the form of blankets distributed by the club. Over 200 blankets were given out at Barsola village.
RC PATIALA GREATER RI District 3090 Students of Guru Harikrishan Public School at Binaheri village benefitted from a dental camp conducted in their school campus. Around 200 students were screened and treated for dental defects.
RC MORADABAD CIVIL LINES RI District 3100 A speech therapy camp was organised by the club for mentally retarded children at Prayas, an initiative by the club for the mentally challenged. Nearly 40 children were benefitted by this project.
RC HALDWANI RI District 3110 The club in association with RC Bangalore Southwest, RI District 3190, provided the victims of the Uttarkhand disaster with financial and material support worth Rs.3,25,000.
FEBRUARY 2014 ROTARY NEWS 31
RC MIRZAPUR GAURAV RI District 3120 The club organised a de-addiction camp for 200 patients suffering from alcohol and tobacco addiction. Counseling and medical assistance was provided to these patients.
RC PUNE SHIVAJINAGAR RI District 3131 A training programme was organised by the club for deaf and dumb students to enhance their employability skills. The programme teaches these students to create artifacts and market them.
RC AHMEDNAGAR RI District 3132 The club sponsored six new computers at the Rotary Computer Centre for visually-challenged students in order to train them and assist them in finding suitable jobs.
RC BOMBAY MIDTOWN RI District 3140 Tricycles were distributed to disabled and needy people. The mobility appliances would help them to move around comfortably.
32 ROTARY NEWS FEBRUARY 2014
RC BHADRACHALAM RI District 3150 Flood victims at Rudrammakota village were provided with flood relief kit by the club in order to assist them to face the odds brought forth by the disaster.
RC TADIPATRI RI District 3160 Sewing machines were distributed to poor women in order to make them economically independent and support their families by way of taking up the tailoring vocation.
RC HONAVAR RI District 3170 The club conducted a cataract operation camp for three days. Over 140 patients were screened and 56 were operated at the Rotary Eye Care Unit at St. Ignatius Hospital.
RC UDUPI MIDTOWN RI District 3180 Engineering students hailing from poor families received educational assistance from the club in the form of laptops that would help them to complete their course with ease.
FEBRUARY 2014 ROTARY NEWS 33
I played professional basketball for 20 years, from 1969 to 1989, which means I’ve been retired for 25 years. Technically, I’ve been retired for longer than I’ve worked. But in those 25 years of “retirement,” I’ve experienced more adventures, accomplished more goals, and affected more people in a meaningful way than I did during my sweaty years of fame and glory and breaking records. I cherish those times of intense competition, team camaraderie, and fan appreciation. But those 20 years, which make up less than a third of my lifetime, are only a part of who I am. Since 2011, 10,000 baby boomers a day have turned 65. This will continue every day for the next 16 years. That’s a lot of us seniors roaming around looking for something to do. Especially when you consider that the average length of retirement is 18 years. My retirement years have been the most exciting and rewarding of my life. The main reason I have thrived is that I follow my three rules of retirement.
Rule 1 Don’t think of it as retirement. Retirement is a loaded word. Not good loaded, like a buttery loaded potato for dinner or a loaded shotgun during a zombie apocalypse. But loaded in that it carries a lot of misleading connotations, the most popular of which is that retirement is about the end of something. In other words, it’s loaded with a load of crap. Here’s the truth: Throughout our lives, we are always in the process 34 ROTARY NEWS FEBRUARY 2014
of retiring from something. We retire from diapers to pants. We retire from high school to college. We retire from being single to being married. We retire from a no-kids zone to having kids. We retire from having kids at home to not having kids at home. Some people retire from being one gender to being another. What we really mean by the word “retiring” is “transitioning.” We are transitioning from doing one thing to doing something else. Like a caterpillar into a butterfly, a
tadpole into a frog, a bodybuilder into a governor. We’ve allowed the word “retirement” to affect our attitude about the transition from working our butts off chasing career goals to slowing down a bit so we can enjoy the fruits of our labour. It’s similar to selling a house: Just because we move doesn’t mean we’ve retired from living — just from living in that particular house. A new home awaits us in which we will have a new, different life.
When I stopped playing professional basketball, I transitioned into several new roles. I became a coach, a writer, an actor and an ambassador. Often I did several of these jobs at the same time. Each was a new adventure that stimulated my mind (writing books about history requires lots of research) and sometimes challenged my body (try diving off a 33-foot-high platform as I did on the TV show Splash). Currently, I’ve transitioned my inner couch potato into a job writing articles about popular culture for Esquire.com and the Huffington Post. I get to watch TV shows and movies and read books — all activities I would do anyway — and analyse them for social meaning, which my history degree from UCLA trained me for. Retirement is a mythical beast like the unicorn, leprechaun, Bigfoot and the honest politician.
Rule 2 Go from being a success to being significant. You’re already a success. You’ve worked diligently for many years, contributing to society, to community, to family. Just because you don’t want to work as hard doesn’t mean you don’t want to continue to contribute. In fact, your years of experience mean you can now be even better than a success. You can be significant. I retired before the enormous NBA salaries that you read about today came along. Not that I wasn’t well compensated — just not as well as the current crop. The Lakers payroll in 1989, my last year in the pros, was $10,693,860. This year, the Lakers spent almost $100 million in salaries. What does that math mean to me? Well, it means that, like a lot of other baby boomers, I didn’t retire to endless days lounging around the swimming pool, going to fancy Hollywood parties, and flying my private jet to Leonardo DiCaprio’s private island (wherever that is). I still work for a living. Me and Betty White.
But I don’t work simply for income. I work because it energises me, keeps my mind sharp and allows me to use all my skills, knowledge and previous success to make a more positive impact on the people in my life. To be significant. Recent studies show that only 19 percent of Americans don’t plan to work after they retire, while 75 percent intend to work, either full or part time. The problem is that a lot of seniors are afraid to pursue a new job. They fear they won’t be able to do the job, especially if it involves new technology. They fear they won’t be treated with respect by other employees or bosses. Part of the reason for this fear is how we are portrayed on television and in movies: as doddering, absentminded, boring dust-bunnies stuck in the past. Sure, some people are like that, but chances are many of them were like that when they were young. Age stripped away the disguise of youthful hipness that they never really possessed. In fact, seniors bring a lifetime of knowledge, experience and discipline to a job. True, they probably aren’t looking to grow into a longterm career, so they won’t obsessively dedicate their off-hours to work, but while they’re on the job, they will do it with efficiency and pride. See, they have something to lose that young employees don’t have: a reputation built over years of hard work. That reputation for being loyal and dependable is worth something to those senior workers, and they will do everything they can to maintain it. Now, if you don’t intend to work, that’s terrific. But those of us who do paid or volunteer work, either because we have to or because we enjoy the mental and physical challenge, need to recognise our worth and not be afraid to pursue a new job. We still have valuable skills that are in demand. Of course, in some cases you’ll be starting at the ground level, which is hard for someone who might
Last year, Abdul-Jabbar won two NAACP Image Awards for his work as a documentarian and a children’s book author. FEBRUARY 2014 ROTARY NEWS 35
On the television show Splash, Abdul-Jabbar dove into a new sport, launching himself into the pool off a 33-foot platform.
have been a boss, especially if your new boss is younger and less experienced. But this is about transitioning, not remaining the same. Remember, you moved out of the old house for a reason; now start enjoying the new one. I’m writing a series of novels for middle-school children. Despite having written several best-selling non-fiction books, I’d never written a novel before this series. I have much younger editors telling me that I need to change this or polish that or make this clearer. And that’s exactly what I do, because I’m the newbie here and I want to learn how to be better. It’s on-the-job training. You also may have to train to develop new skills, but that’s part of the fun. Until a couple of years ago, I couldn’t open computer programmes 36 ROTARY NEWS FEBRUARY 2014
or surf the Web or tweet or Instagram. I avoided computers like those natives who thought a photograph would steal their souls. Emails were strange magical creatures that travelled in the ether. Even physically it was all a challenge: Just imagine my giant balloon-animal fingers tapping away at those tiny keys. But through the patience of my friends, I learned. (Slowly. Oh so slowly.) Now I can do extensive research, write and edit books, and occasionally order something I don’t need that I saw on an infomercial. I used to stuff a ball through a hoop; now I have to jump through hoops to learn new skills and take on new challenges. And I’m good with that, because every day I’m doing something that I know will not only make my life more interesting but also have a significant effect on others.
Rule 3 People who need people are the luckiest people. Getting older can make you feel marginalised. Like you’re not as important to society. TV ratings are all about the coveted 18- to 49-yearolds. If a show has a large following but the viewers are older than this key demographic, networks cancel, as they did with Murder, She Wrote. Same with music and movies: They’re designed to attract the younger audiences. It’s as if the world doesn’t care what you think or want. This feeling of being marginalised can make you cranky and tempt you to withdraw even more. Before you know it, you’re cocooned on your couch, clutching the TV remote, muttering, “Damn kids!” every time you hear the neighbourhood children laughing.
In 1983, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a six-time National Basketball League MVP and was on the cusp of becoming the league’s all-time high scorer, a record he still holds.
This can develop slowly over time until you are interacting with people less and less. It takes effort to maintain relationships. When you’re younger, you are thrown together with people all the time — through work, through your children, through hobbies and activities. But when you’re working less and the children are gone and the cartilage in your knee has gone with them, you find yourself with fewer people to talk to. I maintain relationships by maintaining a presence in people’s lives. I call friends and family, checking on how they’re doing, staying interested in what they’re doing. I’m not that chatty on the phone, so I also make the effort to visit or have them visit me. Relationship maintenance is as necessary as health maintenance: If you aren’t vigilant, relationships will disintegrate.
I also like to go out and meet new people. Writing is pretty solitary, so I do a lot of volunteer work, whether I’m visiting cancer patients to offer support after my own battle with leukaemia, visiting other countries as a U.S. global cultural ambassador, or visiting schools to promote science, technology, engineering and math education. Meeting all these people of different ages and backgrounds makes my life more meaningful and fulfilling. It ain’t over till it’s over. Age is about attitude. As we get older, it’s natural that we think more about death. But knowing that the end is on the horizon helps us prioritise what’s important in our lives and motivates us to do more to enjoy those priorities. Knowing that my time is limited makes me cherish my friends and family
more intensely and encourages me to make sure they know this. I no longer put off doing things that are important to me. In a recent interview, Yoko Ono, who had just turned 80, said, “I do feel that I am starting a new life at 80, a second life that will have so many things I didn’t have in the first life.” That’s a good way to look at this new era in our lives — as an opportunity to express those parts of ourselves that we ignored or overlooked in our youth. These days, when I’m forced to choose among several options, I ask myself which choice will bring the most joy to my life and the lives of those around me. This has encouraged me to try new things, forge new relationships, and seek new ways to contribute to my community. By Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Reproduced from The Rotarian FEBRUARY 2014 ROTARY NEWS 37
WE ARE THIS CLOSE TO ENDING POLIO Now is our chance to change the world. To make sure no child is disabled by polio ever again. Join in. Speak out. Donate. Be a part of history. Endpolionow.org
ThisClose
A. R. Rahman
A ROTARY PRIMER
GLOBALOUTLOOK A ROTARIAN’S GUIDE TO THE RACE TO END POLIO
Copyright © 2014 by Rotary International. All rights reserved.
HOW TO END POLIO hat does it mean to “end polio”? Zero reported cases around the globe is the goal, but that’s not all it will take to ensure that the world remains polio-free forever. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) details the long-term plan to eradicate polio by 2018 in its endgame strategy. In this issue, we speak with Ciro de Quadros, an expert on public health, about the final stage of polio eradication; review the four objectives of the endgame strategy; investigate what we’re doing to address the challenges to ending polio; and explain surveillance, a critical step in determining when polio is gone for good. What is your part? Read on to find out how you can help finish the job. 40 ROTARY NEWS FEBRUARY 2014