Por Wayne Hearn & Dan Nixon
Noticias de Rotary International - 26 de noviembre de 2007
Foto: AP Images
The Rotary Foundation received a $100 million Gates Foundation challenge grant, which Rotary will raise funds to match, dollar for dollar, over three years.
Rotary will spend the initial $100 million within one year in direct support of immunization activities carried out by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, spearheaded by the World Health Organization (WHO), Rotary International, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and UNICEF.
"The extraordinary dedication of Rotary members has played a critical role in bringing polio to the brink of eradication," says Bill Gates, cochair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "Eradicating polio will be one of the most significant public health accomplishments in history, and we are committed to helping reach that goal."
The polio eradication grant is one of the largest challenge grants ever given by the Gates Foundation and the largest grant received by Rotary in its 102-year history. Since 1985, Rotary has made polio eradication its top priority and has contributed $633 million to the effort.
"Rotarians worldwide have worked very hard over the years to reach this point, and it is rewarding to see our approach validated in such a significant way by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation," says Dr. Robert Scott, chair of The Rotary Foundation Trustees. "We hope that this shared commitment of Rotary and the Gates Foundation will challenge other donors, including foundations, governments, and nongovernmental organizations, to step up and make sure we have the resources needed to rid the world of polio once and for all."
The Gates Foundation grant comes at a critical juncture for the initiative, which urgently needs an infusion of funds to reach the eradication goal. Although the initiative has slashed the number of polio cases by 99 percent over the past two decades, the wild poliovirus still persists in four countries: Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Polio cases represented by that final 1 percent are the most costly to prevent, due to geographical isolation, poor public infrastructure, armed conflict, cultural barriers, and other factors.
"This investment is precisely the catalyst we need as we intensify the push to finish polio," says Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO's director-general. "We have the technical tools to do it, and we can achieve a polio-free world if the rest of our financial partners step up to meet the challenge."
Most of the initial $100 million will be spent in support of mass immunization campaigns in polio-affected countries, poliovirus surveillance activities, and community education and outreach. The grant will also support an expanded research agenda on ways to expedite interruption of the transmission of the wild poliovirus. Rotary will distribute the funds through grants to WHO and UNICEF.
"The funds made possible through the Gates Foundation grant will help the Global Polio Eradication Initiative scale up its efforts to provide oral polio vaccine to children in those isolated locations where it's most needed," says Ann Veneman, executive director of UNICEF. "This important contribution will improve the capacity to protect vulnerable children from this debilitating disease."
CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding says the collaboration between Rotary and the Gates Foundation underscores the importance of private-sector involvement in major public health efforts. "As a government agency, we think it's wonderful that our private-sector colleagues have taken a leadership role in something as important as polio eradication. Their participation is absolutely critical."
Noticias de Rotary International - 26 de noviembre de 2007
Foto: AP Images
El 26 de noviembre, Rotary International anunció que, en conjunción con la Fundación Bill y Melinda Gates, donará 200 millones de dólares a la campaña mundial para erradicar la polio.
Tras recibir una subvención de 100 millones de dólares de la Fundación Gates, La Fundación Rotaria recaudará fondos durante tres años a fin de aportar fondos paralelos (dólar por dólar) por otros 100 millones de dólares. Rotary desembolsará los 100 millones de dólares iniciales en el curso de un año, apoyando directamente las actividades de inmunización a través de la Iniciativa Mundial para la Erradicación de la Polio, alianza liderada por la Organización Mundial de la Salud, Rotary International, los Centros de EE.UU. para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades y el Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia (UNICEF).
“La extraordinaria dedicación de los rotarios ha sido un factor esencial para lograr que la polio esté a punto de ser erradicada —sostiene Bill Gates, vicepresidente de la Fundación Gates—. La erradicación constituirá uno de los logros más significativos en la historia de la salud pública mundial, y estamos totalmente consagrados a alcanzar dicha meta”.
Ésta es una de las “subvenciones-desafío” más importantes otorgadas por la Fundación Gates y la más importante que Rotary haya recibido en sus 102 años de historia. La erradicación de la polio ha sido prioridad absoluta de Rotary desde 1985, que, desde entonces, ha contribuido 633 millones de dólares a dicha causa.
“Los rotarios de todo el mundo han trabajado diligentemente durante años para lograr este objetivo y es gratificante que nuestra labor sea reconocida de tan significativa manera por la Fundación Gates —afirma el Dr. Robert Scott, quien preside el Consejo de Fiduciarios de La Fundación Rotaria—. Esperamos que este compromiso compartido por Rotary y la Fundación Gates incentive a otros donantes (fundaciones, organizaciones gubernamentales y no gubernamentales, etc.) a sumarse a la causa a fin de que podamos disponer de los recursos necesarios para eliminar la polio para siempre de la faz de la Tierra”.
"La colaboración entre Rotary y la Fundación Gates representa una coyuntura oportuna y sin precedentes para la Iniciativa Mundial para la Erradicación de la Polio, la cual ayudará a erradicar la enfermedad que alguna vez causara mil tragedias por día —declara el presidente de RI, Wilfrid Wilkinson—. Sé que los rotarios responderemos a este desafío y participaremos activamente para desterrar la polio del mundo”.
La subvención de la Fundación Gates llega en un momento crucial para la Iniciativa Mundial para la Erradicación de la Polio, dado que se necesitan fondos de manera urgente para alcanzar la meta de la erradicación. Aunque se ha logrado reducir el número de casos de polio en un 99% durante las dos últimas décadas, el poliovirus salvaje persiste en cuatro países: Afganistán, India, Nigeria y Pakistán. La prevención de los casos de polio en dichas naciones es más costosa, debido al aislamiento geográfico, la fatiga de los trabajadores de la salud, los bajos índices de cobertura inmunitaria, las guerras y las barreras culturales.
Según la Dra. Margaret Chan, directora general de la OMS, la subvención de la Fundación Gates reafirma que la erradicación es un objetivo factible y alcanzable: “Este aporte de fondos es el catalizador que necesitábamos a medida que intensificamos el esfuerzo para eliminar la enfermedad. Contamos con los recursos técnicos, pero sólo alcanzaremos nuestra meta si el resto de nuestros colaboradores responden al desafío económico”.
La mayor parte de los 100 millones de dólares iniciales se utilizarán para financiar las campañas masivas de vacunación en los países polioendémicos, actividades de vigilancia del poliovirus y educación y promoción en el ámbito de la comunidad. También se destinará una parte de los fondos al programa ampliado de investigación sobre las estrategias para detener la propagación del poliovirus. Rotary distribuirá dichos fondos a través de subvenciones a la OMS y el UNICEF.
“Estos fondos ayudarán a impulsar la Iniciativa Mundial para la Erradicación de la Polio, mediante la cual se administra la vacuna antipolio a los niños que viven en áreas remotas —apunta Ann M. Veneman, directora ejecutiva del UNICEF—, mejorando así nuestra capacidad para proteger a la población infantil en situación vulnerable”.
La Dra. Julie Gerberding, directora de los Centros de EE.UU. para Control y Prevención de Enfermedades, afirma que la colaboración entre Rotary y la Fundación Gates subraya la importancia de la participación del sector privado en los asuntos de salud pública: “Como entidad gubernamental, nos parece encomiable que el sector privado haya tomado la iniciativa de liderar los esfuerzos de erradicación, ya que su participación es absolutamente vital”.
ENGLISH
RI and Gates Foundation commit US$200 million for intensified push to finish polio
By Wayne Hearn & Dan Nixon
Rotary International News - 26 November 2007
Photo by AP Images
Rotary International announced a partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on 26 November that will inject a much needed US$200 million into the global effort to eradicate polio.
The Rotary Foundation received a $100 million Gates Foundation challenge grant, which Rotary will raise funds to match, dollar for dollar, over three years.
Rotary will spend the initial $100 million within one year in direct support of immunization activities carried out by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, spearheaded by the World Health Organization (WHO), Rotary International, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and UNICEF.
"The extraordinary dedication of Rotary members has played a critical role in bringing polio to the brink of eradication," says Bill Gates, cochair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "Eradicating polio will be one of the most significant public health accomplishments in history, and we are committed to helping reach that goal."
The polio eradication grant is one of the largest challenge grants ever given by the Gates Foundation and the largest grant received by Rotary in its 102-year history. Since 1985, Rotary has made polio eradication its top priority and has contributed $633 million to the effort.
"Rotarians worldwide have worked very hard over the years to reach this point, and it is rewarding to see our approach validated in such a significant way by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation," says Dr. Robert Scott, chair of The Rotary Foundation Trustees. "We hope that this shared commitment of Rotary and the Gates Foundation will challenge other donors, including foundations, governments, and nongovernmental organizations, to step up and make sure we have the resources needed to rid the world of polio once and for all."
"This partnership is a historic milestone - and timely opportunity - for Rotary through the Global Polio Eradication Initiative to help eradicate a disease that once devastated a thousand lives a day," says RI President Wilfrid Wilkinson. "I know that we as Rotarians will accept the challenge and do our part to finish the job."
The Gates Foundation grant comes at a critical juncture for the initiative, which urgently needs an infusion of funds to reach the eradication goal. Although the initiative has slashed the number of polio cases by 99 percent over the past two decades, the wild poliovirus still persists in four countries: Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Polio cases represented by that final 1 percent are the most costly to prevent, due to geographical isolation, poor public infrastructure, armed conflict, cultural barriers, and other factors.
"This investment is precisely the catalyst we need as we intensify the push to finish polio," says Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO's director-general. "We have the technical tools to do it, and we can achieve a polio-free world if the rest of our financial partners step up to meet the challenge."
Most of the initial $100 million will be spent in support of mass immunization campaigns in polio-affected countries, poliovirus surveillance activities, and community education and outreach. The grant will also support an expanded research agenda on ways to expedite interruption of the transmission of the wild poliovirus. Rotary will distribute the funds through grants to WHO and UNICEF.
"The funds made possible through the Gates Foundation grant will help the Global Polio Eradication Initiative scale up its efforts to provide oral polio vaccine to children in those isolated locations where it's most needed," says Ann Veneman, executive director of UNICEF. "This important contribution will improve the capacity to protect vulnerable children from this debilitating disease."
CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding says the collaboration between Rotary and the Gates Foundation underscores the importance of private-sector involvement in major public health efforts. "As a government agency, we think it's wonderful that our private-sector colleagues have taken a leadership role in something as important as polio eradication. Their participation is absolutely critical."
Learn more about polio eradication
Read the official press release
Read a joint letter from the RI President and The Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair
Read the official press release
Read a joint letter from the RI President and The Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair
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