Photograph: Child being immunised against polio.
As Rotary clubs across Great Britain and Ireland continue to raise funds for Thanks for life, 30 Rotary members are in India to support a National Immunisation Day (NID). 167million children, under the age of five, will be protected in just a few days from the curse of polio.
The volunteers are working alongside Rotarians and healthworkers from India, as well as Rotary members who have travelled from America, Australia, Japan and Korea.
Kate Keter, Rotary Club of Linlithgow Grange, is one of the travellers: “This is my second NID trip. When I joined Rotary, I expected to be fundraising and giving service in my local community. It was only as I became more involved in the club and the wider Rotary world that I realised I could do so much more.
"We’ve been raising money for PolioPlus so going to India to support a National Immunisation Day is the ideal way to see where and how the money is spent and also a way of doing more than just giving the cash."
The day before the NID takes place, the volunteers will publicise the event, to ensure as many people as possible know that the next day is NID. The next day, everyone is split into teams to look after the thousands of vaccination booths set up all over India. Finally, the volunteers will go to remote villages and slums to find children who have missed the polio vaccination.
Kate says the work is hard but it must continue:“There has been so much done by so many people to rid the world of a disease that it is possible to eradicate. We must continue until it is gone forever.”
Find out how you could change a child’s life with Rotary International in Great Britain & Ireland. Information on how to join can be found here .
