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$3 million polio grant to UNICEF by Rotary

NEW DELHI: The Rotary Foundation has granted $3 million to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for creating awareness against polio in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The campaign will target more than 4,000 communities.

The current grant is in addition to the $3 million awarded to UNICEF in November 2007 for polio communication activities this year.

Rotary International also extended a $2.65 million grant to the World Health Organisation (WHO) which will be used to support high-quality surveillance for polio viruses by its National Polio Surveillance Project- India.

“This tremendous support comes at a crucial time for the polio eradication effort,” said Gianni Murzi, UNICEF representative in India.

WHO Representative to India Salim Habayeb said: “Good quality surveillance for communicable childhood diseases, most notably including polio, is central to the success of India’s development efforts and its national programmes under the success of India’s development efforts and its national programmes under the overall umbrella of the Government’s commendable National Rural Health Mission.”

Funding from the Rotary International to UNICEF will support deployment of 4,045 community mobilisers in 40 districts of Uttar Pradesh and carry out social mobilisation with underserved communities through Jamia Millia Islamia, Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Hamdard.

National mass media campaigns for polio eradication and routine immunisation will be initiated and intensive community engagement through support to the Integrated Child Development Scheme in mobilising anganwadi workers in more than 20 districts of Bihar for polio campaigns will be done.

More than 300 community workers will be engaged with families in the Kosi river area in Bihar as well as select urban pockets on the importance of immunisation and protection of children from polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases.

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