THE GLOBAL CHANGE (C)

When in 1978 the Board considered for the first time the idea of global vaccination – the president was then Glem Renouf of Nambour, from Queensland, Australia – understood that the clubs could object to the «corporative» nature of such a project. Furthermore, the resolution 23-34 even discouraged the RI from suggesting collective campaigns or projects to individual clubs.
It isn’t anymore about the smoky and evanescent spark but about the flame that will illuminate another great turning moment in the strategy of RI. The movement itself had to undertake internal structural changes, global ones, to put in perspective a world scale project. An operation more delicate and time consuming when we know the messages are much slower than the messengers even at a modest scale. What to say then about a scenario like the one of the clubs from all over the world? Renouf had made another proposal to the board in his last weeks as the elected president. That led to the creation of a Fund to the commemoration of the 75th anniversary consisting entirely of voluntary contributions that would be gathered in a two years period of time starting in 1978. The funds would be spent in «great international service programs, such as in a worldwide effort to immunize children and adults» for a period of no longer than five years.
At the RI Tokyo Convention, in 1978, Hingson dazzled again the Rotarians. He spoke about his «peace gun» and also about the vision that motivated him to a Rotary international immunization campaign. It is then that the elected president Glem Renouf killed two birds with a single stone suggesting the new 3 H Program to the Rotarians and the immunization projects should be linked and paid with the contributions to the 75th anniversary Fund.
Once again the RI asked for the WHO advices in order to know with scientific consistency where to begin. The answer suggested Indonesia, Papua New Guinea or Philippines. Soon after, in 1979, Dr. Sabino «Benny» Santos from the Rotary Club of Malolos, in the Philippines, submitted to the Board a proposal of 3 H grants, alleging he would undertake an immunization project against polio in his country. It was a plea of almost mandatory acceptance. Within the 32 nations of the WHO in the Western Pacific Region, the Philippines had 45% of all the polio cases and 74% of all the deaths by this disease. Besides, Rotary had a strong implantation in that country, an enormous benefit to the necessary mobilization of volunteers. A past secretary of State of the country was in «Benny» Santos’ club, and the secretary of State designated was one of the members of the Rotary Club of Manila, in the capital of the Philippines.
(To be continued in D)

Henrique Pinto
October 09 in World Polio Day
PHOTOS: National Immunization Day in Angola, here in a small setlement controled by the rebels, Manuel João and Ruth Madureira Pires, Henrique Pinto and Manuel Cardona, among the inhabitants; Dr Robert Andrew Hingson watching an immunization, as a scientist and as a volunteer in Rotary, he pulled the Polio Eradication as much as he could