Bengaluru, October 24: In observance of World Polio Day on 24th October 2025, Rotary District 3192 organized a Walkathon on Thursday, 23rd October at 6:30 PM, started from the Kempe Gowda Statue at Vidhana Soudha and ending at the Rotary House of Friendship, Lavelle Road. The event celebrates Rotary’s decades-long leadership in eradicang polio and calls on ci zens to unite for a polio-free world.
A Legacy of Leadership in Polio Eradication
For more than four decades, Rotary Interna onal has stood at the forefront of the global campaign to eradicate polio. In 1979, Rotary launched its first immunization project in the Philippines, se ng in mo on a worldwide movement that would change the course of public health.
By 1985, Rotary introduced PolioPlus — the first and largest private-sector ini a ve supporting global immunization — raising an unprecedented $247 million, more than double its original goal.
Three years later, in 1988, Rotary became a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication
Ini a ve (GPEI), joining forces with the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preven on (CDC), and later the Bill & Melinda Gates Founda on. At that
me, polio paralyzed more than 350,000 children annually across 125 countries.
Today, thanks to this historic partnership, polio cases have been reduced by 99.9%, and more than 2.5 billion children have been immunized — marking one of the greatest achievements in global health history.
Rotary’s Global Partnerships and Impact
Rotary’s collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and other partners has been pivotal in reaching the world’s most remote communi es, building trust in vaccines, and mobilizing the resources needed to protect every child. Rotary has contributed over $1 billion to UNICEF alone, supporting the distribution on more than 1 billion doses of oral polio vaccine each year — according for over half of the global supply.
In recent years, Rotary’s impact has been further strengthened through its partnership with the Bill
& Melinda Gates Founda on, which has provided matching grants that have mul plied Rotary’s contribuns. A landmark $450 million joint commitment announced in 2017 continues to fund vital immunization on drives, disease surveillance, and community engagement across polio-endemic countries such as Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as in outbreak-prone regions of Africa.
A Call to Ac on
The Bengaluru Walkathon invites Rotarians, Rotaractors, students, and ci zens to join hands in raising awareness and reaffirming Rotary’s unwavering commitment to end polio forever. As District Governor, I affirm, “This is not just a celebration of success, but a reminder that our mission con nues un l every child, everywhere, is safe.”
Let this occasion stand as a testament to what collabora on, compassion, and collec ve commitment can achieve. Let us walk with purpose, celebrate our progress, and inspire the next genera on to uphold the spirit of service and the promise of a healthier, polio-free world.
