End Polio Now

Almost 30 years ago, a Rotarian asked Siniki Fandebnet if he’d like to be part of a new Rotaract club in Chad. He joined immediately. “Rotary International’s humanitarian goals were a perfect match for my aspirations as a medical student,” he says. 

Growing up in Chad, Fandebnet was no stranger to polio. “I had friends with polio, some of whom were disabled for life,” he recalls. But Rotary helped him understand the power of a collective commitment against the disease. As a Rotaractor, he participated in polio immunization campaigns, explaining the benefits of vaccination to parents who had heard conspiracy theories or thought their religion prohibited it. The work convinced him to specialize in orthopedic surgery and devote his thesis to the fight against polio in Chad. His final medical training topic was the importance of national immunization days. 

After medical school, Fandebnet joined a Rotary club and continued his work with people disabled by polio through free medical caravans. As a professor of surgery, he also travels to other countries to operate on children to improve their mobility and train health professionals to treat people affected by polio. 

In September, Fandebnet was appointed Chad’s polio incident manager. In this role, he coordinates the work of experts in Africa’s Lake Chad basin as their countries pool efforts to stamp out poliovirus outbreaks and end the disease. 

“Rotarians in Chad remain fully engaged in the fight against polio through action, supervision, and advocacy,” he says. “Their dedication embodies Rotary International’s core values of service, integrity, and humanity.”

Lucerne, Switzerland, 27 October 2025 — Music, unity and global purpose filled the air on Sunday evening as Rotary International hosted a spectacular World Polio Day benefit concert at the world-renowned Culture and Congress Centre (KKL), Lucerne, Switzerland. The event brought Rotarians and guests from across Europe in celebration of Rotary’s decades-long fight to eradicate polio worldwide.

At the close of the evening, organisers presented a cheque for CHF48,000 – enough funds to vaccinate more than 100,000 children – to Christine Buering, Rotary International Director, and Mike McGovern, Chair of Rotary’s International PolioPlus Committee. The funds will support the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), of which Rotary is a core partner

“This evening shows what is best about Rotary — generosity, solidarity and hope,” said Christine Buering. “Every note of music played here tonight brings us one step closer to a world free of polio. My heartfelt thanks go to all participants, to all who performed, and to everyone who contributed to this remarkable effort.”

The concert itself was a masterpiece of sound and vision: the Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, under the baton of Chloé Dufresne, performed Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the prodigious young pianist Tsotne Zedginidze at the piano, followed by Dvorák’s Symphony No. 9 “From the New World” synced with breathtaking live photography by Tobias Melle projected behind the orchestra — a multisensory journey of music and imagery that electrified the venue.

Since Rotary launched PolioPlus in 1985, the number of children paralysed by polio has dropped by over 99%, from nearly half a million cases every year to just a handful of districts in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Over 22 million people are walking today who would otherwise have been paralysed for life.

“It is taking longer than we once hoped, but we are closer than ever,” said Mike McGovern. “The greatest threat now is complacency. Polio can return anywhere until it is eradicated everywhere. Tonight’s concert reminds us that together, we can — and must — finish the job.”

On behalf of the World Health Organization, Dr Jamal Ahmed, Director for Polio Eradication, expressed deep gratitude to Rotary and all partners:

“Rotary’s unwavering leadership continues to inspire the entire global health community,” he said. “We thank Rotary International, and every Rotarian here tonight for their extraordinary commitment. As our Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said earlier this week when meeting Rotarians at WHO headquarters — Rotary’s partnership remains vital to finishing polio once and for all.”

Polio eradication remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, underscoring the need for continued vigilance. Yet the success of Rotary’s work — supported by partners such as WHO, UNICEF, CDC, the Gates Foundation and Gavi — shows what humanity can achieve through unity and compassion.

“In a world that often feels divided, PolioPlus shows what’s possible when we make the right choices together,” said Dr Ahmed. “Let us keep that spirit alive — until no child, anywhere, suffers from polio ever again.”

As the final notes echoed through the KKL hall overlooking Lake Lucerne, the evening ended not just in applause, but in renewed determination — to turn Rotary’s vision of a polio-free world into lasting reality.