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Issues: Polio
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Reflecting on our success
 

 

 

We all want to see the end of extreme poverty. But how do you tackle it? As our colleague (and resident nomad!) d’Arcy likes to say, you can tackle this massive issue the same way you eat an elephant: one bite at a time.

We’re thrilled to share the news that we’re one bite closer to ending extreme poverty! Last week the global community came together and pledged US$4 billion to completely wipe out polio – a disease that affects some of our world’s most vulnerable children, pulling them and their families deeper into poverty.

Our Global Campaign Manager, Michael, was lucky enough to attend the Global Vaccine Summit in Abu Dhabi last week, and watched in astonishment as governments including Canada and the UK joined Bill Gates and other philanthropists in making substantial funding commitments for a new plan to wipe out all polio, everywhere, by 2018. While that’s exciting news in its own right, what made it even more special was the knowledge that our supporters  (i.e. you)  had played an incredibly important role in securing these commitments – particularly from the Canadian and British governments.

 

How we did it

At the Global Poverty Project, we know that, in democratic societies at least, governments represent their constituents and act according to their wishes. As Bono says, “we can’t blame the politicians because we have to give them permission to spend what is in the end our money.” So we work to increase the number and effectiveness of ordinary citizens taking action to influence key decision-makers to do more to end extreme poverty and diseases like polio.

So when we heard that the global partnership working to end polio had come up with a new plan to eradicate this disease within the next six years, we knew that we needed to mobilise large numbers of people in some of the world’s wealthiest countries – namely, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States – to convince their governments to help fund this new plan.

To do this, we took a four-pronged approach: media, events, public action and direct advocacy.

 

Media

What better way to reach large numbers of people, including regular citizens and politicians, than to get the extraordinary story of polio eradication out in the media? We wrote op-eds, hosted newsworthy events (see below) and built relationships with key journalists, leading to more than 100 media clippings including coverage by the BBC, the Islam Channel, Embassy Magazine, the Independent on Sunday, the Sydney Morning Herald, Radio NZ National and the Diplomatic Courier. We worked in close collaboration with other organisations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the UN Foundation and Rotary International to ensure a steady stream of “surround sound” around this issue, encouraging more people to join the campaign and encouraging governments to take this issue seriously.

 

Events

 

Events kill many birds with one stone. They are an ideal platform for interacting with decision-makers and loyal supporters, while giving you a chance to secure media and public interest.

We hosted a variety of events across all of our target countries with at least one being held in each parliament/Congress, from the United States to New Zealand, with key leaders invited to attend. We engaged the Pakistani diaspora in Canada, mobilised grassroots support in the British Secretary of State for International Development’s electorate, and were able to secure, for the first time, a public statement of bipartisan support in Australia.

 

Public action

First we asked folks to sign the petition either on our website or through Global Citizen - and 40,000 people in 150 countries did!

This gave us a clear measure to demonstrate the breadth of public support for polio eradication; but we knew we also needed to show the depth. So we asked those who had signed the petition to take further actions, either to get their friends, family and followers to join the campaign or to demonstrate to world leaders the level of their support.

The response was incredible. Our supporters tweeted, posted on Facebook, wrote emails, penned letters, made phone calls and even met with their elected representatives to personally encourage them to take up the case. Together we helped build a global movement in support of eradicating this cruel virus.

 

Direct advocacy

We had a lot of meetings with government decision-makers. And almost every time we went, we took along the petition to demonstrate that there were 40,000 people behind us. Michael and Akram Azimi, the Young Australian of the Year and ambassador for this campaign, met with more than 25 members of parliament, including the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader, in Australia alone.

We asked the government officials we met with to show their support for the campaign in concrete and tangible ways. Whether they were diplomats, bureaucrats, cabinet ministers or legislators, we asked them to express their support through tweeting, speaking in parliamentary debates, writing to their party leader and, ultimately, supporting an increase in funding from their respective governments.

 

 

What next?

Last week saw a historic moment – with more than 70% of the funding needed to end polio funded, up front, by the global community. But there’s still US$1.5 billion needed to completely wipe out this disease. We know that, without 100% in funding being fully committed, we are placing this unique opportunity at risk.

Funding shortfalls have plagued polio eradication efforts for too long, causing children to miss out on the vital protection of the polio vaccine and creating the ideal conditions for mass outbreaks. We have a narrow window of opportunity to wipe out this disease, right now, otherwise it will return with a vengeance, and paralyse more than 200,000 children a year.

At last week’s Global Vaccine Summit, Bill Gates was asked where he hoped the remaining funds would come from. He responded by singling out three countries in particular: Australia, Japan and the United States.

We don’t as yet have a presence in Japan, but we are determined to convince the Australian and American governments to pay for their fair share. So we need to keep up the momentum and continue to press the case in coming months. We mustn’t give up when we’re so close! In fact, if you have five minutes, why not show your continued support right now by taking the time to contact key decision-makers in the US and Australia.

 

Australia: Tweet @BobJCarr @JuliaGillard @AusAID

United States: Send Senator Harkin an email

 

Learn more about how the campaign succeeded in Canada and the UK and sign our petition here to convince others to fund the plan to end polio.
Posted by Michael Sheldrick and Lauren O'Connor, The End of Polio campaign in What Can I Do?, Polio for column Success Stories on May 2nd, 07:05
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The UK calls time on polio
 

Pledges £300m over the next six years at Vaccine Summit in Abu Dhabi

For decades, polio ruined the lives of countless children and ended countless more. For decades, millions of people lived under the threat of polio; regardless of whether they lived in countries rich or poor. Today, through firm resolve and dedication, the threat of polio has receded from our shores. Thanks to an effective vaccine, a system of delivery and the political will to bring those two together, polio was wiped out. This is the story of polio in the United Kingdom, but it is not the story of polio everywhere. Until now.

Polio hasn't been endemic in the UK for over 40 years, but it remained at-large in poor countries for decades. However, in the past 30 years, global cases of polio have sunk from over 350,000 in 1988 to just 223 last year. That's a 99% decrease. The fight to defeat polio has arguably been the single greatest triumph of global public health in the past century. For the first time this century, we stand on the edge of eliminating a human disease. Whether in the world's wealthiest or poorest nations, the day when all humanity will be free of the threat of polio is finally within sight.

The United Kingdom has been central to that fight. In fact, proportionate to GNI, the UK is the single greatest government donor of polio vaccinations in history. Successive British governments have worked to eradicate the disease that destroyed the lives of so many of their people. For 30 years, the UK has been at the forefront of world governments who realised that as long as a single case of polio existed beyond our borders, all the world's children were at risk. That fight is almost won. Just three countries still have ongoing struggles with the disease.

Today, the Department for International Development announced that they were putting the final nail in polio's coffin, with an incredible donation of £300m over the next six years. This money will go on to vaccinate up to 360m children around the world. Not only that, but this new lease of a life free from polio will allow those children to grow, and has afforded them the best chance they could possibly have of a life beyond polio and, ultimately, beyond poverty.

Justine Greening, Secretary of State for International Development said: "Britain will not stand on the sidelines while easily-preventable diseases like polio are still a risk to thousands of people around the world. Our generation has a genuine opportunity to make the devastating disease of polio a thing of the past, just as has happened with smallpox. We now call on all other donors to join us because the healthier a population, the better able it is to contribute to and benefit from economic development."

With the generosity of this commitment and the steadfastness of their support, the British Government have taken that final step towards a polio-free world; a world which we could now see as early as 2018. This commitment means that in our lifetime, we will see the end of polio. Moreover, it means that hundreds of millions of children will now live to see it in their lifetimes, too. That is what the UK has just set out. Thanks to that commitment, we now know how this story will end, and when.
Posted by Ciaran Norris in Polio for column GPP - United Kingdom on Apr 25th, 09:00
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Isle of Man funds polio eradication
 

World-changing, if I’m honest, is something that I have always aspired to, but thought was outside the realms of possibility for me as an individual. After all, I am only one of 85,000 people who live on an island in the middle of the Irish Sea. I have done some things such as sponsor a child, sign a petition and live of £1 a day for five days for charity, but could I actually change the world?

However, as a Global Poverty Ambassador with the Global Poverty Project I have seen the truth in the statement from anthropologist Margaret Mead ‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.’ I have been empowered to understand that grassroots activism is a key component in seeing the world change, in fact, without it world-changing wouldn’t be possible.

As Global Poverty Ambassador on the Isle of Man in 2012 I was not only able to appreciate the great work of individuals and government that had already taken place, but also act as a catalyst for more individuals and key funders to take further action. With the help of other passionate volunteers, we saw the Live Below the Line campaign receive full local media coverage and we ran a campaign to call on the Isle of Man Government to increase their international aid budget in order to work towards the 0.7% target. Recently, we have also seen a landmark commitment being made to the end of polio strategy.

Since 2009 The Rotary Club of Douglas on the Isle of Man has led the way in raising funds for the End Polio Now campaign and in response to this the Isle of Man Government gave a contribution from the international development fund in 2012. But 2013 is an important year for the fight against polio and commitment to funding for the next six years is vital to seeing this disease removed from the world for all time.

Having built relationship with Kevin Kneen, local End Polio Now chair, who recently received the Regional Service Award for a Polio Free World awarded via Rotary International in the USA, as well as the Isle of Man Government International Development Committee, it was apparent that the Isle of Man could play a significant role in the global fight against polio. With the support of the Global Poverty Project it was announced this week that the Isle of Man would become the first 2013 non-traditional donor contributing towards the end of polio strategy by committing £90k over the next three years.

As Justine Greening, the Secretary of State for International Development, highlighted in her comment to The Independent on Sunday on 12th April ‘Without global eradication the risk of disease always remains. It will take a concerted global effort with real investment from donors, development banks and foundations.’ The Isle of Man has now made such an effort and we hope that it encourages other governments, donors and foundations to do the same, particularly in the light of the Global Vaccination Summit this week.

However, the response of the Isle of Man Government would not have been possible without the committed and thoughtful citizens, whom Kevin Kneen and myself represent. Individuals who have continued to raise their voices and take action on behalf of those still living in extreme poverty. Each of us can change the world; we merely need to consider what we can do and do it, without delay.
Posted by Kristina Crawford in Polio for column GPP - United Kingdom on Apr 24th, 08:04
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Bloomberg Announces $100m for Polio Eradication
 

The end is near. 

Community leaders, politicians and activists around the world have rallied to eradicate polio. Over 40,000 supporters have signed our petition asking world leaders to increase funding for polio eradication. Their voices have been heard.

This morning Mike Bloomberg, Mayor of the City of New York, made a $100 million commitment toward polio eradication. Bloomberg Philanthropies’ commitment will be used to help fund the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s strategic plan for polio eradication.  

In a statement this morning Mayor Bloomberg explained that, “It’s unthinkable that polio still exists in the world when we have the tools and technology to protect children from this preventable, debilitating disease. Now is the time to invest in making polio history.” 

Mayor Bloomberg said that he was, “thrilled to join the Gates Foundation and other partners in the effort to end this disease once and for all.” The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is a major donor to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. “Mayor Bloomberg’s commitment is a key development in helping to ensure that all children are protected from this and other vaccine-preventable diseases.  I look forward to continuing to work with him on this and other critical global health initiatives,” said Gates.  

Polio has been eradicated by 99.9%. Thanks to global collaboration between public and private organizations, governments and local communities, polio cases have been reduced from more than 350,000 in 1988 to 223 in 2012. There have been only 5 polio cases thus far in 2013. 

The end of polio is in sight. In April world leaders will meet in Abu Dhabi for the Vaccine Summit. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s strategic plan established a framework through which polio can be eradicated by 2018. New commitments, such as this morning’s announcement from Mike Bloomberg, will be key to meeting the strategic plan. 

 
Posted by Judith Rowland in Polio for column GPP - United States on Feb 28th, 04:38
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Encounters with Bill Gates
 

There are not many people who can say that the last 12 months have been punctuated by an encounter with Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and chair of Microsoft, but this is precisely what I can claim because of my first year as an Ambassador with the Global Poverty Project, UK.

The 'capital letter' of the year, on 25th January 2012, was the Ambassador programme launch at the London School of Economics where Bill Gates shared the content of his Annual Letter and Hans Rosling explained some of the latest development statistics in his inimitable style. The 'full stop' was Bill Gates' presentation at last night's annual BBC Richard Dimbleby Lecture at the Royal Institute in London. It was an honour to be at both of these events and, for a secondary school teacher from the Isle of Man (a small island in the middle of the Irish Sea), it verged on unbelievable.

In January last year I was interested to learn from Hans Rosling that a third of the world's population live off food grown on some 500 million small-hold farms. With the global population set to increase by a further 2 billion by 2050, efforts in improving food security and sustainable agriculture should be high priority. It is fantastic, therefore, in 2013 to be part of leading the IF campaign action on the Isle of Man in the run up to the G8 in June: acting to see the beginning of the end of hunger by calling on the Manx Government to increase its international aid contributions.

Last night Bill Gates also highlighted the importance of using technology and innovation to help improve the health of children in particular and his championing of the End of Polio campaign was prevalent. I was struck by his point that vast generosity is part of human nature but the issue is whether the people that need our generosity are visible or remain invisible. From the 1960's onwards, polio and its effects had reduced visibility for many in developing nations, however this does not reduce the need to respond. In fact, he sees ending polio as an opportunity to show what human beings are really capable of and with global efforts: funding, political commitment and resolve this could be achieved in the next six years.

I'm very proud of the fact that through the efforts Douglas Rotary Club on the Isle of Man and with the support of the Isle of Man International Development Committee, £29,000 has been raised by the Island towards the campaign vaccinating an estimated 145,000 children - not bad for an island with a population of 85,000! The support of the UK Government in the campaign has been essential and I hope, like Bill Gates highlighted, that they will continue to fulfil their commitment to the world's poorest.

In truth, however, (to extend my syntactical metaphor further) my most recent encounter with Bill Gates was not so much a 'full stop' to the year but a 'semi-colon' between years: an opportunity to reflect, take breath and forge on into the exciting year ahead. I am enjoying my role as an ambassador tremendously and I've caught the campaigning bug: the opportunity to be a leader in my community and to enable people, who are passionate about tackling the issues of poverty, disease, hunger and injustice, to take effective action is just such a privilege.

Thanks must go to the Co-operative and the Global Poverty Project team for helping me to gain the understanding and the confidence to play my part in seeing an end to extreme poverty within our generation. If you fancy joining me as an ambassador or would like to nominate someone as an ambassador within your local community in the UK or Northern Ireland, then please apply today (applications close on 20th February 2013). It would be a pleasure to work with you to create a movement that will change the world.
Posted by Kristina Crawford - Global Poverty Ambassador in Polio, Poverty for column Issue Analysis on Jan 30th, 08:42
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