Young people across Great Britain and Ireland have been using their green fingers to plant purple crocuses in aid of End Polio Now.
This included students and pupils from Exmouth Community College and Marpool Primary School who, with the help of the Rotary Club of Exmouth and District were able to commemorate Rotary’s role in the international fight to achieve polio eradication.
The bulbs were planted in a local park, pictured above, and when in full bloom will proudly spell ‘Rotary: End polio now’ across the bank.
The purple crocus has become synonymous with Rotary’s involvement with polio eradication, and symbolises the purple dye painted onto children’s fingers to identify that they have been administered with a polio vaccination.
The campaign provides schools and youth groups with crocus bulbs, compost and pots, as well as educational materials which help to teach young people about the disease and spreads Rotary’s values of giving your time to help others.
When Rotary first committed to tackling this huge humanitarian challenge, around 1,000 people every day were contracting poliovirus across the 125 endemic countries. Today, only Pakistan and Afghanistan are yet to be declared polio-free, which is why campaigns and activities such as crocus planting demonstrate the final push to eliminate the disease is well underway.
Following the recent news of financial pledges by Commonwealth governments, and with clubs across Great Britain and Ireland continuing to raise funds and awareness, the campaign against polio really does unite people from an international to local level.
To find out more and to see how schools and youth groups can take part, visit the Rotary crocus campaign website.
Published: 14th December 2015
