Photograph by Rich Hendry
Tourists taking snaps of the Houses of Parliament got a little something extra in their photos this weekend when Rotary illuminated the iconic building with the words End Polio Now.
The dramatic message – Rotary’s pledge to rid the world of the crippling disease – was projected on to the structure on Saturday (21 February) as part of an international initiative to encourage the world to get behind the final push to eradicate polio from the four remaining endemic countries.
Other buildings being illuminated in the week of Rotary’s 104th birthday (23 February) include the Sydney Opera House, the Coliseum in Rome, Cape Town, the prestigious Culzean Castle in Glasgow and High Falls in Rochester New York.
[IMG: 392 title=”Sydney Opera House projection” style=”clear: both; width: 404px; height: 245px” height=”245″ alt=”Sydney Opera House polio projection” width=”404″ align=”top” border=”0″]
[IMG: 393 title=”The Coliseum in Rome projection” style=”clear: both” height=”287″ alt=”The Coliseum in Rome projection” width=”315″ align=”center” border=”0″]
[IMG: 395 title=”Cape Town projection” style=”clear: both” height=”288″ alt=”Cape Town projection” width=”315″ align=”center” border=”0″]
[IMG: 388 title=”Culzean Castle projection” height=”288″ alt=”Culzean Castle lit up for polio” width=”315″ align=”center” border=”0″]
[IMG: 401 title=”High Falls in New York” height=”193″ alt=”High Falls in New York polio projection” width=”315″ align=”center” border=”0″]
The House of Parliament projection, lasting for one hour, caused a stir among tourists and residents. One passerby commented: “I didn’t think polio was still around. I can’t believe it is still affecting children in four countries, that’s completely unacceptable. Well done to Rotary for highlighting the plight but more importantly for doing something about it.”
Ian Thomson, president of Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland said: “By illuminating these historic landmarks with our pledge to end polio, Rotary clubs are announcing to the world that we will not stop until the goal is achieved. We hope people everywhere will see these words — either in person or through the media — and join with us and our partners in this historic effort to rid the world of polio once and for all.”
Although there has not been a case of Polio reported in the United Kingdom for many years, the crippling and sometimes fatal disease is still a very harrowing reality for children in parts of Africa and Asia and threatens children everywhere.
The incidence of polio infection has plunged from about 350,000 cases in 1988 to fewer than 2,000 in 2008. More than two billion children have been immunised in 122 countries, preventing an estimated five million cases of paralysis and 250,000 deaths. Today, polio remains endemic to only four countries: India, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Afghanistan.
Polio eradication has been Rotary’s top priority for more than two decades. The international humanitarian service organisation is a spearheading partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, along with the World Health Organisation, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and UNICEF.
Rotary club members worldwide have contributed more than $800 million and countless volunteer hours to the effort and are now working aggressively to raise the $200 million needed to match $355 million in challenge grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. To learn more about polio eradication, including how to participate in this historic effort, visit www.ribi.org/foundation/polio.
23/02/09
