Local Rotarians join effort to eradicate polio
By MICHAELA CHRISTENSEN
hamptonunion@seacoastonline.com
December 19, 2010 2:00 AM
HAMPTON — For 12 days in late November and into December, three members of local Rotary Clubs walked the red dirt streets in Nigeria, West Africa, distributing liquid doses of polio vaccine to children.
Dave Reid and Jim Waddell of the Hampton Rotary Club and Nancie Griswold of the Exeter Rotary Club, travelled to Nigeria to participate in a service trip contributing to one of Rotary International's biggest goals — to eradicate polio from the world.
The three were joined by a group of 15 other Rotary Club members from all over the United States. The trip was organized by district governor Anne Lee Hussey, who is a polio survivor.
"We had cultural differences but we had one common goal in mind," said Reid.
The local Rotarians said the trip made them realize the great reach of their organization internationally.
"Rotary rocks over there," said Griswold. "It was powerful to see."
In 1985, the volunteer service organization made a commitment to immunize the world's children. Three years later they became a leading partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
Rotary International has contributed to that effort through fund raising, advocacy and volunteer recruitment. The organization is currently working on matching $355 million in challenge grants received from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. They need $200 million to achieve this goal.
Polio is a highly contagious viral infection that affects the central nervous system, which leads to muscle paralysis.
Reid said although his local Rotary Club has been raising money to go towards eradicating polio it felt great to participate.
"This trip gave us a chance to be on the ground actually distributing the medicine," said Reid.
Nigeria is one of only four nations in the world that still has people suffering from the disease. The others include Pakistan, Afghanistan and India.
The team departed Nov. 23 and returned Dec. 5. The Rotary group worked with teams of volunteers to administer two drops of oral polio vaccine to every child they could under the age of 5. The volunteers went from door to door, visiting churches, schools and even in the street to try to make sure that they gave the vaccine to as many children as they could reach.
Most parents were receptive to having their child take the vaccine.
"People seemed to recognize Rotary as a helping hand," said Griswold.
Each member of the volunteer group also brought a bag full of medical and school supplies with them to distribute while they were visiting the country. They distributed crayons and pencils at one school and spent time painting the inside walls of a classroom.
Reid said their trip fit perfectly into this year's Rotary theme, which is "Building Communities, Bridging Continents."
"The trip made me feel like I was fulfilling that premise," he said.
Upon arrival to the country, the Rotarians were met with a very different culture. Many of the children they met walked in their bare feet through trash filled streets. The kids raced after the volunteers wanting to touch their skin because many of them had never seen a white person. Government schools have dirt floors. The people they met live in small shack-like buildings and the kids made toys out of sugarcane.
"When we got there it was like there was an assault on all of our senses," said Waddell. "It was one of the most interesting experiences of my life."
Despite how little the Africans had, they were very happy, said Griswold.
"It was a very humbling experience," she said.
For more information about the Rotary International initiative or to contribute to the cause, visit www.rotary.org.