Foundation grants over 88 mln Birr for Polio Eradication Initiative

ADDIS ABABA — THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD Newspaper 20 May 2016: The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International granted over 88 million Birr to World Health Organization (WHO) for operational support to eliminate polio from Ethiopia.
According to a WHO press release sent to The Ethiopian Herald, the grant would be used to sustain Ethiopia’s current position of polio free status. The Foundation granted the money as the Polio Eradication Initiative was attained in Africa as well as Ethiopia in the last 25 years.
During a handing over ceremony held recently, WHO Acting Representative for Ethiopia Dr. Olusegun Ayorinde Babaniyi said that the fund would increase the capacity of WHO to sustain the efforts in zeroing Polio and strengthen technical support in polio eradication initiative. The WHO would maintain its pre-eminence to build on the polio legacy to accelerate the improvement in routine immunization for closing the immunization gap increasing Rotary’s commitment to support the country and the global initiative, Acting Representative also said.
As the Initiative enters its final stages by 2018, investments made in the cause of polio eradication are built onto benefit other development goals. Therefore, the completion and closure of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative is as serious as the beginning of polio Eradication Initiative, the press release noted.
Rotary National Polio Plus (NPPC) Chairman Tadesse Alemu said: ”We needed fund to launch Polio Eradication Initiative program and we have to see to it that funding is crucial for Endgame activities and polio legacy to ensuring investments made are built on to benefit other development goals.”
The grant is for one-year, which must be fully expended by March 31, 2017. It was learnt that Rotary’s grant globally is bout 2.3 billion USD.
BY FANUEL LAKEW