Rotarians and Rotaractors across Great Britain and Ireland are publicising World Polio Day, Monday 24th October, by harnessing the power of social media.
Rotary club members are posting polio stories to their social network sites, such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and so on, including the following hashtag phrase in their message:
#rotaryendpolio
The inclusion of this phrase, in every post, will help create an active online discussion which will draw attention to the battle to eradicate polio and Rotary’s crucial involvement. Adding comments to online news sites will also help boost the discussion.
RIBI President Burman is keen for everyone to get involved: “For this campaign to work, Rotary needs as many people as possible to get involved and make #rotaryendpolio the most discussed topic within as many social networks as possible. Persuade your friends, relatives, work colleagues, even your local celebrity to get involved and help get this online discussion the most talked-about story around.
“I will be posting on my Facebook page, using the hashtag, and spreading the word about all the great things Rotary clubs and districts do to help eradicate polio. If we can get people talking about polio, we will be one step closer to making the disease history.”
This social media campaign aims to raise awareness of the need to eradicate this disease and Rotarians are urging everyone to get involved.
A dedicated Facebook page has been set up to help keep people in touch and up to date as the campaign progresses. Please visit theRIBI Social Media Facebook page and ‘like’ it.
To be involved:
- On the 24th of October, put up posts about polio and include the hashtag #rotaryendpolio.
- Add your comments to online news sites, again using the hashtag.
- Where possible, add the link, to Rotary’s End Polio Now campaign website: www.rotary.org/EndPolio
- Head to the RIBI Social Media Facebook page. Feel free to post your updates and ‘like’ the page.
Here are some examples that you may want to use:
- Rotary began immunising children in 1985. Since then, Rotary club members have volunteered their time and personal resources to reach more than two billion children in 122 countries with the oral polio vaccine. #rotaryendpolio
- Since 1995, the advocacy efforts of Rotary and its partners have helped raise more than $8 billion from donor governments.#rotaryendpolio
- From having 125 polio-endemic countries, there are now just four in the world. Make polio history by helping Rotary.#rotaryendpolio.
- Thanks to Rotary and its partners, polio cases worldwide have plummeted by 99%. Help beat the final 1% by supporting Rotary www.rotary.org/EndPolio and World Polio Day. #rotaryendpolio
- Thanks to the work of Rotary and its partners to eradicate polio, five million instances of child paralysis and 250,000 deaths have been prevented. #rotaryendpolio
- Support World Polio Day by donating to Rotary’s End Polio Now campaign www.rotary.org/EndPolio and make this disease a thing of the past. #rotaryendpolio
- I’m supporting World Polio Day and Rotary’s drive to eradicate polio. #rotaryendpolio
- We stand on the brink of eradicating the second human disease in history. On World Polio Day, Monday 24th October, let’s support Rotary’s End Polio Now initiative www.rotary.org/EndPolio. #rotaryendpolio
- Rotary clubs across Britain and Ireland have donated £10.5 million to polio immunisation intiatives, and Rotarians worldwide have raised around $1,000 million. #rotaryendpolio
- Thanks to Rotary and its partners, polio cases have fallen from 1,000 each day to fewer than 1,000 a year (950 in 2010.)#rotaryendpolio
Rotarians – More information is available http://www.ribi.org/
World Polio Day also marks the birthday of Dr Jonas Salk, who created the world’s first safe and effective vaccine against this crippling and, at times, fatal disease which affects the central nervous system.
Those most at risk of contracting polio are children under the age of five years old. Rotary has worked tirelessly since 1985 to wipe out polio from the world. Since becoming involved in the campaign, alongside CDC, WHO and UNICEF, Rotary has helped to reduce the number of endemic countries from 125 to just four; India, Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan.
