How did Rotary eradicate Polio?
In 1985, Rotary launched its PolioPlus program, the first initiative to tackle global polio eradication through the mass vaccination of children. Rotary has contributed over $2.1 billion and countless volunteer hours to immunize more than 3 billion children in 122 countries from this paralyzing disease. Rotary's advocacy efforts have played a role in decisions by governments to contribute more than $10 billion to the effort.
The eradication of polio is one of Rotary’s longest-standing and most significant efforts working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years, and we've made incredible progress in the fight to rid the world of it forever. As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, we've helped to reduce polio cases by more than 99.9 percent.
Purple Pinky Day:
When a child receives their life-saving polio drops on mass polio immunization days, their little finger is painted with a purple dye so it is clear they have received their polio vaccine. Purple Pinkie Day is also a fundraiser where families in the US give $1 to pay for inoculating kids in developing countries, so US children who donate also get their fingers painted purple.
