Kids swimming for kids to help rid the world of polio

Children are helping rid the world of polio by swimming in Rotorua in New Zealand. Organized by the Rotary Rotorua Sunrise in collaboration with Rotorua Aquatic Centre, the Rotorua Swim Marathon Charity challenge has been running for the past 10 years. Swimmers are challenged, for every $5 raised, to swim a length of the 50 meter pool. The total lengthen of the marathon is 42 kilometers.

David Jones, who is one of the organizers, applauded the children for the enthusiasm. Jones said the participants are presented with certificates which highlight the number of laps accomplished and the number of children’s lives they saved. Another organizer, Tak Tothill said every dollar donated was tripled by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The Rotary Club’s target is to raise $5000 to help vaccinate 5000 children in the third world country.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 10 million volunteers have administered an estimated 10 billion doses of polio on hundreds of national and subnational immunization days since the World Health Assembly resolution of 1988.