Lets join fight against eradication of polio

At the event, medals were presented to long serving Rotarians for their service over the years to both humanity and the club.

Polio is an acute viral infection that affects the nervous system and causes permanent paralysis that affects children under five years.

About 90 per cent of polio cases have no visible symptoms that lead to muscle weakness and paralysis of the lower limbs that cause deformity in children.

Polio vaccination was developed in the year 1952 when the World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF, and the Rotary Foundation led a global campaign to educate the world on the availability of the vaccine.

Mr Gyabaa indicated that children were the future leaders of the country and needed to be nurtured well to protect them against diseases that affected them at the early stages of their lives.

 He said Rotary International saw the future of children as being washed away  by the dangers associated with the disease and in view of that, the “club decided to provide the  necessary support to combat the eradication of the disease ’.

He noted that as a result of this development, Rotarians had contributed more than $1billion as well as provided valuable support during National Immunization Days to stop the crippling childhood disease globally.

More than one million Rotary Club members, he said, had volunteered their time and personal resources to protect more than two billion children in 122 countries from polio.

He indicated that the club was hoping to continue with the eradication process this year until when there would be no polio in the world.

He said “In rotary, our business is not profit, our business is peace and our reward is not money, but the happiness and satisfaction of seeing a better more peaceful world that we have achieved through our efforts”

“I wish to congratulate all Rotarians in Ghana and in particular Rotarians of the Rotary Club of Accra, for their support and encouragement,” he stressed.

According to the Head of the European Union Delegation to Ghana, Mr Claude Maerten, peace was for the protection of the of the security of its citizens.

He noted that it was the mission of the European Union to advance peace and to protect the rights and freedom of individuals in the society and the world at large.

Mr Maerten indicated that, peace brought about rule of law where the vulnerable in the society became fully protected and enjoyed the necessities in life.

Rotary Club is an international business organisation established in 1905 which  focuses on carrying out a variety of humanitarian services, providing high ethical standards in all vocations and touching people’s lives in their local communities as well as ensuring the maintenance of peace in the world.

The club, which has its headquarters in the United State of America (USA), provides $200 million to sponsor international scholarships, cultural exchange and humanitarian projects each year to improve upon the quality of life for millions of people in the world at large.

Story by Jennifer Ansah