Month: September 2010

District Governor Visits Coolamon

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Our District Governor Neal Fogarty and Barbara Fogarty made the annual DG’s visit to our club last night.  It was a fun meeting and DG Neal gave us a spirited talk and praised the work being done by our club.  Although small we punch above our weight with local and international community service.

Posing for the DG

A full report will be published in this week’s bulletin.  Thank you Madison Durham for the photo.

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Polio Plus

Read about some positive developments in the fight against polio:                 21st August 2010

.             {Taken from the Monthly Update from the Pakistan Polio Plus Division}.

Afghanistan
On the Border – after a recent outbreak in neighboring Tajikistan, Afghan officials are trying new approaches to ensure that the polio virus doesn’t enter through the border. Six permanent polio immunization booths have been erected at border crossing checkpoints, where military personnel are immunizing children before they enter the country.  Drops are also being given in unlikely places, including at weddings, in female prisons, and on trains and buses.  Despite insecurity that has hindered access in some restricted areas, case counts have remained steady, with 13 polio cases reported this year, compared to 13 at the same time last year.

Horn of Africa
Celebrating One Year Polio Free –As of 30 July 2010, the Horn of Africa, including Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda, has once again been declared polio-free after an outbreak in 2009 threatened that status. The last case of polio reported there was in July 2009.

India
Indian Rotarians Engage Muslim Leadership – Rotarians recently organized a meeting in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh to encourage the Muslim leadership to support polio eradication activities in the area.   Uttar Pradesh accounts for 10 of the 27 polio cases reported in India during 2010. The meeting resulted in a strengthening of relations between the Ulemas and Rotarians, and future meetings are being planned to continue the collaborative effort.

Nigeria
Nigeria receives high praise from African Union Leaders – At their summit in Kampala, Uganda, the African Union praised Nigeria’s efforts to eradicate polio.  As of 4 August 2010, Nigeria is reporting 6 polio cases compared to 365 at the same time last year. Dr Mohammed Pate, the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) cited increased political engagement among all stakeholders as key to the dramatic success in reducing cases.

Pakistan
Polio cases have indicated an alarming rise from FATA & KPK region in the last 2 months. Total number of confirmed polio cases (as on 25th of August, 2010) = 43. Details are: 25 type-1 cases; 18 type-3 cases.


The Polio Plus Truck
Advertising on the side of a truck in Karachi

Above: Some images from Karachi showing publicity for the National Immunization Drive for Polio translated the board says:  ‘National Immunization Drive’ – Get rid of polio with two drops of polio vaccine for every child, every time.


Polio NID April 2009 at Area Manzari Cheen Bezai Mohmand Agency FATA Pakistan, by a former Rotarian of Rotary Club Peshawar D3270 Pakistan.

Bunny Jumps

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Now for something completely different, maybe a good fund raising project:

Dolly Parton & RI team up to promote early childhood reading

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Country music legend Dolly Parton says reading to a preschooler is the best way to prepare for the day when that child first heads off to school.

Parton was a speaker at the 2010 RI Convention in Montréal, Québec, Canada, in June, where she received Paul Harris Fellow Recognition and shared her appreciation for Rotary’s efforts to promote literacy. RI News caught up with Parton in Montréal for an exclusive interview. Watch the video above for the interview, and for more from her convention appearance.

Rotary International and the Dollywood Foundation’s Imagination Library are collaborating to promote early childhood reading. The Imagination Library provides preschool children with a free book each month from birth until age five. The program has received support from more than 115 Rotary clubs and has grown from its base in Parton’s home state of Tennessee, USA, to other communities in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Dolly Parton Teams Up with Rotary International from Rotary International on Vimeo.