Terrible news from Afghanistan …Three female polio workers were shot in Jalalabad whilst working in the field.
In addition, an explosion took place at the entrance to the cold chain office in Nangarthar province. No one was injured but there was damage to property.
As is our custom, immediate payments of US$2,500 were arranged to assist families in the short term.
Such tragedies show the importance of working with all parties to finish the job of eradicating polio in endemic countries as soon as possible.
On a positive topic, Bill and Melinda Gates recently shared a photograph on their Foundation web site of children crossing the border from Pakistan to Afghanistan with the message … ‘Children crossing the border from Pakistan to Afghanistan receive oral polio vaccine through a program implemented by Rotary International’. Thanks to Bill and Melinda for the positive promotion of Rotary – and their web site contains much more information and praise for Rotary and out battle against Polio.