Most Rotarians will be familiar with Rotary Give Every Child a Future (RGECAF), with almost every district across Australia and New Zealand, and many clubs and individuals, supporting the project. Support has also come from districts and clubs in other parts of the world.
RGECAF is Rotary’s ‘Down Under’ Centenary project. It is introducing three new vaccines (HPV, rotavirus and pneumococcal) into nine Pacific Island countries (Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Tonga, Tokelau, Tuvalu and Vanuatu) and is being implemented in partnership with UNICEF.
Vaccines and vaccine storage equipment has been procured. Healthcare workers have been trained in how to store and transport vaccines and communicate confidently with families, and so manage vaccine hesitancy.
“Rotary’s relationship with UNICEF has a long history, going back to the start of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988. This project is but the latest chapter in that story and goes to show what can be achieved with the right partners.”
Community engagement programs to inform communities of the safety and efficacy of these new vaccines have been delivered. Children are now being immunised with over 11,000 infants and adolescents vaccinated so far.
The pneumococcal and rotavirus vaccines, now being delivered to infants, will protect them against meningitis, blood poisoning, pneumonias and gastroenteritis. These diseases are life-threatening, particularly in regions where families do not have access to the intensive care facilities that we take for granted in Australia and New Zealand. In addition, human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is protecting the next generation of mothers, grandmothers and aunties from the virus that causes cervical and other cancers.
The budget to deliver this program is US$3.9 million. With significant support from The Rotary Foundation, over US$3.6 million has been committed to the project to date. A total of 22 global grants have been approved by the Foundation and the project is now fully funded in eight of the nine target countries. The introduction of HPV vaccine into Kiribati remains our final piece of work with less than US$300,000 required to complete this.
The challenges of undertaking this project have been significant. The measles outbreak in Samoa in 2019 was a major setback as UNICEF’s attention, quite rightly, was diverted to a mass vaccination campaign in that country. Then, of course, there was COVID-19. Never could we have envisaged that RGECAF would be rolled out in the midst of a global pandemic! Pacific Island governments have understandably been giving priority to managing the pandemic and rolling out COVID-19 vaccines. Only now are travel restrictions within the Pacific starting to relax. The ability of clubs to run fundraising events has also been severely affected.
Nevertheless, much has been achieved – but it could not have been done without UNICEF as our project partner. Rotary’s relationship with UNICEF has a long history, going back to the start of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988. This project is but the latest chapter in that story and goes to show what can be achieved with the right partners.
Approximately 100,000 children will benefit directly from this project. However, it is important to recognise that the governments in all these countries have committed to continue these immunisation programs long after the RGECAF project is complete. And they will be able to do this because the savings from not having to treat the resultant diseases will allow them to fund the vaccines indefinitely. The sustainability of the program is thus ensured, guaranteeing whole populations protection against these diseases for generations to come.
RGECAF is having a major impact in our region and demonstrates the relevance of Rotary International to the world as we move into our second century of service ‘Down Under’. Rotarians, Rotaractors and Interactors across the region are continuing to support the project. However, for you as an individual to save a life in the Pacific please visit everychildafuture.com and donate $45. Or maybe $45 for each of your children and/or grandchildren, gifting a life in their name. Every dollar you donate goes directly into the RGECAF program. Let’s finish this important project and reach every last child in the Pacific.