Tomorrow (Saturday), the Rotary Club of Tenby will hold at the Royal Gate House Hotel a Murder Mystery Night.
An entertaining evening awaits when seven actors from Murder and Mayhem Inc. will play out a murder mystery amongst the guests who at the end of the evening have to guess the identity of the murderer. From each ticket sold, £4 will be donated to Rotary International Polio Eradication Campaign.
In 1985, Rotary launched PolioPlus, one of the most ambitious humanitarian programmes ever undertaken by a private-sector organisation. PolioPlus was the catalyst for the World Health Assembly's resolution in 1988 to eradicate polio. Today, thanks to Rotary's US$500m. commitment and its leadership in mobilising volunteers, the world is on the threshold of eradicating the polio virus.
Great progress has been made. The number of new cases of polio has fallen from 350,000 per year in 127 countries in 1988 to just 483 in less than 10 countries in 2001.
The greatest obstacle to the goal of eradicating polio by Rotary's centennial year in 2005 is adequate funding. A US$275m. shortfall must be overcome in the period 2002-05. For this reason, Rotary International has launched a one-year campaign to help fill the funding gap. The campaign seeks US$80m. in cash and pledges during the period July 1, 2002 to June 30, 2003. The rest of the funding (US£200m.) will come from the World Bank, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and various national governments.
The money is needed for the vaccine and its delivery through National Immunisation Days, and surveillance systems needed to identify remaining pockets of the disease. Recent NIDs took place in Pakistan and Afghanistan on September 3-5, when 36,000,000 children under five were vaccinated.
The RIBI target is £3m. which equates to an average of £50 per Rotarian. Although a high figure, this is less than achieved by Rotary clubs when Polio Plus was launched in 1985. It is intended that Rotarians provide the money via fund-raising events in their local communities.
In 2001, 575,000,000 children under five in 94 countries were vaccinated involving 10,000,000 vaccinators. When polio is finally eradicated from the world and we can stop immunising children, then the world will save an estimated US$1.5b. every year in immunisation costs!
Tickets are £10 which will include a three-course meal with a Welsh flavour befitting for St. David's Day and can be obtained from the Royal Gate House Hotel (tel: 01834 842255), Jim Fleming (845056) or Chris Jones (844401).