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The mission of the Rotary Foundation (TRF) is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education and the alleviation of poverty. Internationally it is best known for its work in the eradication of polio.

The Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation supported solely by voluntary contributions from Rotarians and friends of the Foundation who share its vision of a better world. The business model is that funds arrive directly at the target and are not shared with committees or pooled with other organisation funds (other than for the eradication of polio). Money is not spent on administration of the projects. This means that if money is donated for a well it gets to the well.

The Rotary Foundation is a large and important part of Rotary. Some of the significant areas that the Foundation has a major impact on are:
· Polio Plus.  Since the Polio Plus program’s inception in 1985, more than two billion children have received the oral polio vaccine. More recently political issues in Pakistan and the Middle East have seen an increase in wild polio outbreaks making the work of the Foundation even more important.
· Humanitarian Grants Program is the umbrella for various programs including Disaster Recovery; District Simplified Grants; Health, Hunger and Humanity Grants; Matching Grants and Volunteer Service Grants. All of these programs enable TRF to outreach peoples of the world to assist where most needed.
· Educational Programs covering Ambassadorial Scholarships, Group Study Exchange, Rotary Grants for University Teachers and Rotary World Peace Fellowships.

2013-14
· Adelaide Light is a substantial contributor to Rotary Foundation. It makes a substantial contribution each year and complies with District guidelines.
· In 2013-14 the Foundation committee operated with club members contributing time on an ad hoc basis as required. 
· Adelaide Light has an existing commitment to work with Rotary in Colombia on a project to alleviate institutionalised poverty through education. 
· The Columbian Education Scholarships project was also identified as potentially suitable for a much larger Grant at an international level. The committee is looking to investigate the possibility of such a Grant in 2014-15. This would involve partnering with other Rotary clubs in South Australia.

2014-15

In the forthcoming year the committee will:
·  consider reasons for District Grant; and
·  promote Centurion club membership to member; and
·

determine the level of club contribution to Rotary.

END POLIO NOW UPDATE

"End Polio Now" international campaign -update from World Polio Day 24 October 2014

Rotary International held at "livestream" event for people worldwide on World Polio Day (24 October 2014 at 6.30pm Chicago time). This provided an update on our progress in eliminating the three polio strains that mainly affect young children under 5yo.

You can watch the whole event at http://new.livestream.com/rotaryinternational/worldpolioday, or view the website at polioeradication.org

RI President Ron Burton introduced the evening with a summary of Rotary’s involvement with its many partners including XXXXX.

When Polio is eradicated it will rank as one of the greatest achievements in global health history - along with the eradication of smallpox. 

However, the eradication of the last 1% is the hardest to achieve. 

Precis:

• Rotary first got involved in 1985 in the Philippines
• We mobilised such large numbers of people that the World Health
• In 1995, 165 million children were vaccinated in one week in China
• In 1997, 134 million children were immunised in India in ONE day, even stopping trains leaving stations.
• 2007:$100 million was pledged by Bill & Melinda Gates - if it was matched by Rotary.  We did.
• 2009: The Gates Foundation pledged $355 million if we raised $200 million by 20 June 2012.  We did.
• 2011: Prime Minister Julia Gillard pledged $50 million, and by the end of CHOGM, $100 million had been pledged.

As at 24 October 2014

• Of the US$11 billion already invested over the past decades, $9 billion has been donated by Governments and $1.4 billion by Rotary.
• 2.5 billion children have been immunised during this project.
• 2013: India has been POLIO FREE for 3 years. 
• For a year there has been NO case of Type 2 virus anywhere in the world. That leave only Types 1 (most frequent outbreaks) & Type 3 (a weaker strain).
• A new vaccine OPV just for this is very effective.
• Bill Gates will give $2 for every $1 we raise.
• However, Syria, which had been free of polio since 1999, recorded a case of polio on 17 Oct 2014. 
• and reinfection has been jumping borders with 198 cases this year in the Horn of Africa.
• We are close to eradicating polio. Let's finish the end game.