End Polio Now

Our aim: is to eradicate Polio throughout the world.


Start a conversation with almost anyone about polio and they will probably look puzzled and say: “I thought polio didn’t exist anymore.”
Polio is still here.
There is one very important fact about polio
THERE IS NO CURE. BUT IT CAN BE PREVENTED BY VACCINATION/IMMUNISATION
Polio can strike at any age but mainly affects children under the age of 5. It traps the World’s poorest people into grinding poverty.  Young people who are paralysed by polio are a burden on their families and are unable to earn their own living.
In 1985 there were 125 polio-endemic countries with over 325,000 cases.
Rotary’s End Polio Now programme is the most ambitious in its history. Since 1985, more than 10 billion doses of Oral Polio Vaccine have been administered to nearly 3 billion children worldwide. As a result, more than 13 million cases of Polio have been prevented and the disease has been reduced by more than 99%.  From January 1st to July 2nd, 2018 there have been just 25 cases.
Rotary continues to work to ensure that children are immunised, and that surveillance is strong despite there being poor infrastructure, extreme poverty and civil strife in many countries around the world. It is, however, often difficult to keep track of children in these countries to ensure they have their full quota of the vaccine. To do this, a purple dye is applied to the “pinkie” finger of each immunised child.
The purple crocus is now Rotary’s emblem for the global End Polio Now campaign.
Thanks to Rotary and the support of our partners WHO, UNICEF, CDC and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, there are now just three remaining countries which are classed as polio-endemic: Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan.
Since 1985, Rotary International has donated more than US $ 1.7 billion to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, which includes more than US $ 38.7 million by Rotarians in Great Britain & Ireland. Dingwall Rotarians donate £500 each year.
This represents the largest contribution by an international service organisation to a public health initiative ever!!  
For every $1 that is donated, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation gives another $2.
You may well ask “why do we bother to continue the immunisation programme when there are so few people now affected”
Well, if we don’t successfully eradicate Polio quickly, there could be as many as 200,000 new cases per year worldwide within the next 10 years.  We must capitalize on the more than $14billion already invested. The world is closer than it ever has been to eradicating Polio, but even a few cases of Polio means that children everywhere are still at risk.
We can make history and help to break the relentless cycle of poverty for millions more children, so they can live healthier lives, go to school and later, get jobs.
If every country in the World is free from cases of polio for 3 years, the disease will be deemed to have been eradicated.  Polio will become only the second disease, after smallpox, to have been eradicated.
Polio has no place in the 21st Century and we are so close to eradicating it.
To celebrate and support the project, we planted purple crocuses around Dingwall and at Strahpeffer Station. We had many volunteers who came along to help and we appreciate the assistance of Dingwall Primary School, Bank of Scotland in Dingwall, The Dingwall Nursery, Dingwall Nursery, The local Alzheimers Support Group and the Strathpeffer Museum of Childhood.
Many thanks to Tom Norton at Tesco for the quiz night which helped to raise money and also to the Tesco customers who donated at the 'Name the Teddy' event on the forecourt.

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The Annual Interview Experience Programme -2023/24 for Schools

back Pupils from years four to six have the opportunity to see what interviews will be like when they leave school.

'What We Do' Main Pages:

Pupils from years four to six have the opportunity to see what interviews will be like when they leave school.

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Annual events include social evenings, conferences, donation evenings etc.

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ORDINARY PEOPLE DOING EXTRAORDINARY THINGS IN THE COMMUNITY This page explains how to contact us if you need our assistance.

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Some of the attractions of the Rotary Feil Maree

An annual event that is organised and run by the Rotary Club of Dingwall as part of our Community Service Programme.

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An annual quiz for primary school pupils. The schools compete for the Club prize - 'The Quaich' - and the winner takes part in the North Scotland Area 1 Heat, followed by the Rotary District 1010 Grand Final.

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Dingwall from across the Water at Ferry Point

Some photos of Dingwall Area

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A 'Pandemically' Silent High Street.  (taken at 11am)

How Rotary in Dingwall has managed the Covid-19 restrictions

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Malawi  Village Training School

A training centre built with the help of the Dingwall Rotarians who have contributed £4000 to the project and have sourced tools for use. Dingwall Rotarians also helping to alleviate the effects of famine.

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Cromarty Lighthouse was photographed for last year's competition by Seth Walters age 11 , a pupil at Resolis Primary School. Seth used a Samsung mobile phone camera to record this image.

A competition for young people between the ages of 7 and 17. They are required to produce a photograph on the theme of 'REBUILDING'. L'.

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A Rotary competition for young pupils on a theme set by Rotary Great Brtain & Ireland

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Merry Christmas Everyone

Santa accepted our invitation to visit Dingwall and Conon Bridge in the run-up to Christmas.

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A Walk and a Run across varied terrain of approximately 14 miles or 6 miles.

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We raise money each year via the Wade Walk, the sleigh and other events. The money is dispersed among local and national Charities.

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A Charity event to raise money for good causes. Organised by Dingwall and Inverness Breakfast Rotary Clubs in association with Easter Ross Young Farmers.

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From small acorns, largew oak trees grow.

Since 1954 we have provided support for our local community in many ways.

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