The following is an excerpt of an email from John Germ, Chair, Rotary’s US$200 Million Challenge Committee and Bob Scott, Chair, International PolioPlus Committee dated January 17, 2012 . . . .

This afternoon at the International Assembly, we had the pleasure of announcing that the Challenge has surpassed the US$200 million mark and has raised US$202.6 million as of 17 January 2011.

In addition Jeff Raikes, Chief Executive Officer of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was at the Assembly and announced that the Gates Foundation has awarded The Rotary Foundation an additional US$50 million grant for polio eradication.  The new $50 million grant from the Gates Foundation is not a challenge grant; it results from Rotary’s early achievement of the $200 million milestone and of the need for continued funding support for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.  

We must remember, however, that this achievement is just one more milestone in our journey to eradicate polio. Most importantly, our ultimate goal is the certification of the eradication of polio. Rotarians are continuing to raise funds for the challenge, which officially concludes on 30 June 2012, and as Rotary leaders, we should encourage their continued involvement. We are confident that we will far exceed our $200 million goal, just as Rotarians have done in all previous campaigns.

Thank you for all you have done and will continue to do to help us reach our ultimate goal, the certification of polio eradication. Together we will End Polio Now.
Best Regards,

John F. Germ, Chair                                     Robert S. Scott, Chair

Rotary’s Challenge Committee                   International PolioPlus Committee

October 15, 2010: With prayers, speeches by government and school officials, and over 70 people in attendance, the La Victoire Public Secondary School was inaugurated on Monday, October 11, 2010. The whole event took about three hours, and the turning over of the keys to the school was quite a ritual. The keys were passed from one group to another, starting in the hands of Haiti Outreach Community Development Manager Roge Michel and Project Manager Isaac Desloches to eventually end up in the hand of the school administrator. Part of the ritual was “blessing” the keys by dousing them in champagne.

Officials present and speaking were: Ministry of Education Director of the Northern Department Theordoare Holair, School Inspectors Eurimarque Jean Francois, Doclanienar Servolard, and Pierre Clodorick, Senator of the North Department Alcmoise Nahoon, Deputy of Pignon, Rankit, La Viktwa Nelson Hidson, Reverend Jaksin Pere, Director of San Raphel School Sireus Joseph, Director Jean Francois Alcima of Rankit, La Victoire Community Platform Representative Paster Louis-souffrance Canot, and Mayor of LaVictoire Thelusmond Norbert. Also in attendence were two Caribbean Radio staff who apparently were doing a live radio broadcast of the event.

Each speaker discussed the activities behind the realization of the school: the time involved, the formation and development of the community committee, the property issue, and the actual school construction. They then officially announced the day the school will start to be put into use: Monday, October 18. There was also a meal served following the event. It was a great celebration for this community. They now have their own public secondary school building so that over 400 teenage children will have the opportunity to continue their education. Without this school, either the children would not be able to complete their education, or they would have to travel long distances to live in a different community, with their parents having to pay for that significant extra expense that very few could afford.

We are very grateful to our many supporters who made donations to make this school possible, and particularly to many Rotary Clubs and the Rotary Partnership for Haiti Committee that worked for two years to raise the money to make this school a reality! Mesi – thank you all!

See more photo here:  http://www.haitioutreach.org/videos-photos/la-victoire-school-haiti/

Dale Snyder
Executive Director
Haiti Outreach