Scott announces three-year $100 million PolioPlus challenge

By Ryan Hyland
Rotary International News - 17 January 2008
Alyce Henson/Rotary Images

“Rotary promised the children of the world that we would eradicate polio. We must not forget our promise,” Foundation Trustee Chair Robert S. Scott reminded incoming governors at Tuesday’s International Assembly plenary session.

Scott told the future district leaders that Rotary must make PolioPlus fundraising a priority. He outlined the new PolioPlus challenge, a three-year US$100 million fundraising commitment. It is the Foundation’s response to a $100 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, awarded in November, to help the fight of polio eradication. Every dollar given to PolioPlus during the next three years will be allocated to the $100 million match, said Scott.

Using a PowerPoint presentation, Scott showed the audience the tremendous progress Rotary has made to polio eradication since 1985, emphasizing their role to finishing the job. “There is no question, we know how to eradicate polio,” he said.

In separate video messages, Gates Foundation co-chair Bill Gates Sr. and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon encouraged Rotarians to continue the fight for global eradication. “Rotary’s leadership is more critical than ever,” Ban said. Gates told the audience that Rotary is on the right path to a “stunning achievement.”

“It is crazy not to finish what we started,” said Anne Walker, governor-elect from District 7770 (South Carolina, USA), after Scott’s presentation. “It’s important we eradicate polio.”

Ogugua Nwankwu, governor-elect from District 9140 (Nigeria), said the challenges given by Scott will truly Make Dreams Real. “We are almost there,” Nwankwu said. “We can make it and finally put polio into the history books.”