National Immunization Day

Hello District Rotarians

 

Re: National Immunization Day (NID) tours

 

A committee of interested Rotarians met on February 11, 2015  to discuss the possibility of increasing our member involvement with NID tours.

 

Over many years, Rotary members have visited countries where polio is still a threat, to immunize children by administering the oral polio drops.  The organization of an NID tour is carried out by professional tour organizers who are usually Rotarians themselves.  A group of Rotarians who have previous experience will link up with Rotarians who are inexperienced to form an NID team.  The NID portion of a tour runs about 7-10 days but your time outside Canada may be longer should you wish to include before or after the NID tour hands-on service in an international project or do some personal travel either within the host country or elsewhere.   Normally these non-NID activities would fall outside the scope of the tour organizer but the organizer may be of assistance as a few of them are also tour agents. 

 

The start of an NID tour consists of some acclimatization time while visiting nearby polio or other health facilities where interaction with the children is encouraged, attending one or more local Rotary meetings, visiting Rotary/Rotaract projects either completed or in progress, participating in Rotary/Rotaract activities and events  and, not to be overlooked, enjoying sightseeing in the area. 

 

Then the real purpose of the visit begins – the immunization of young children.  Depending on the targeted area and the number of children to be immunized, 1.5 to 3 or even 4 days are spent walking door to door administering the vaccine under the guidance of local officials, including Rotarians, and partners of Rotary such as WHO and UNICEF but it is the visiting Rotarians who will place those two precious drops in the mouth of each young child. (When speaking of Rotarians we include spouses or others who may come on the tour as Friends of Rotary.  A minimum age may be applicable.)   Typically your costs could average around $8000 per person, taking into account travel (to the country and locally), visas, hotel and food, required travel immunizations and insurance, and other miscellaneous expenses.

 

We are proposing to join the following tour groups.  If you have an interest, which means you would like to be on the mailing list as we develop the plans, please e-mail Garth to that effect. (e-mail below).  You can also indicate specific interest in one of the Tours below, if you wish, and we will keep you informed of developments regarding it.

 

Tours –

October 2015 – Ethiopia (with optional 7-10 day organized side trip to Uganda post-NID program) – Gail Williams, Co-Chair of our committee will investigate through her contacts to see if our District could have 5-10 spots on the tour.  Since this is coming up quickly, a July firm commitment to the organizer will be required.

Other Fall tours – Possibly West Africa – specific countries to be determined

February-March 2016 – India – location to be determined.

Other tours, going farther into the future will also be considered if there is interest. 

 

No tour will be organized to go into areas considered to be dangerous, such as Pakistan or Afghanistan, or into areas where Ebola is of concern

 

For further information on NID Polio tours, type NID Tours Rotary into Explorer, or Firefox .  Several websites will come up and you can research further as to what is involved in a typical tour.

 

Thank you

Gail Williams & Garth Toombs

 

 

District NID Committee - Co-Chairs:  Gail Williams, Calgary West & Garth Toombs, Calgary; John Andresen, High River; Kim Derksen, Lethbridge Sunrise; Madeleine King, Calgary; Pat Romerman, Calgary West; Karen Shepherd, Calgary Olympic.