SEATTLE -- The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced today that The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International has been selected to receive the 2002 Gates Award for Global Health. The award recognizes Rotary's leadership and impact in the field of public health, most notably the organization's efforts to eradicate polio.
Rotary has contributed over US$462 million toward polio eradication, and has mobilized over one million Rotary members to help immunize more than 2 billion children in 122 countries.
The award not only recognizes Rotary's work to end polio, but also its community service efforts to improve the health and welfare of those in need throughout the world. Examples of Rotary programs include: a revolving loan program for women in Uganda to break the link between AIDS and chronic poverty, a project in the Philippines to provide free tuberculosis screening and treatment for children of pre-school or elementary age, and water projects to supply clean water in El Salvador.
"The Rotary Foundation is truly deserving of recognition for its exemplary achievements in the field of global health," said William H. Gates Sr., co-chair and CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "Rotary volunteers do tremendous work. We should never take for granted the generosity of the many people who contribute their time and resources to make a difference in the lives of children and families in developing and developed nations."
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation established the Gates Award for Global Health in the amount of $1 million to recognize an organization that has made a major and lasting contribution to the field of global health. The Global Health Council administers the award. In selecting this year's recipient, the Council's board of directors considered the following criteria: extraordinary contributions toward progress in the knowledge and practice of health in low-income societies, demonstrated leadership, an established record of achievement, innovation in program design, organizational capacity, collaboration with others, evidence that contributions have been adopted across geographic and organizational boundaries, and substantial impact on health around the world.
"We thank the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for recognizing the important role that Rotary plays in the effort to improve the health of men, women and children worldwide," said Luis Vicente Giay, chairman of The Rotary Foundation. "Rotary receives this award with great humility, but we are so proud that this honor recognizes the critical role civil society plays in the fight to give people in developing nations access to effective immunizations and health care. We hope that the award will help raise awareness of the crucial need to eradicate polio now – when we have the opportunity."
The award will be presented in Washington, DC, on Thursday, May 30, at a dinner during the Global Health Council's 29th annual international conference, "Global Health in Times of Crisis." William H. Gates Sr. will present the award on behalf of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Last year, the first-ever Gates Award was presented to the Centre for Health and Population Research. Based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, the Centre focuses on addressing health conditions prevalent in developing countries and associated with poverty. The Centre pioneered the discovery and development of oral re-hydration solution (ORS), which today saves the lives of 2.5 million children each year from diarrhea, the sickness that used to be the leading infectious killer in the world.
Rotary is an organization of business and professional leaders united worldwide who provide humanitarian service and help to build goodwill and peace in the world. There are approximately 1.2 million Rotary club members of more than 30,000 Rotary clubs in 162 countries. Rotary has recently established the Rotary Centers for International Studies at prestigious universities throughout the world in order to advance knowledge on issues of peace and conflict resolution among the next generation of community and world leaders.
The Global Health Council is the world's largest membership alliance dedicated to advancing policies and programs that improve health around the world. Founded in 1971, the Council promotes better health by assisting all who work for improvement and equity in global health to secure the information and resources they need to work effectively.
Editor's note:
For a local reaction to this award, interviews with Rotary club representatives worldwide can be arranged by calling Vivian Fiore at 847.866.3234.