Against the Odds
In the October edition of The Rotarian magazine, the cover story focused on the efforts of vaccinators working to eradicate polio in Pakistan. The effort is undertaken with the support of Rotarians in Pakistan, both men and women, in spite of cultural and logistical headwinds. Some Pakistanis live quasi-nomadic lives, making it difficult to make contact and provide vaccines. Given restrictive gender roles in traditional Pakistani culture, oftentimes it falls on women to be the initial points of contact in their communities, building the trust necessary for families to allow their children to be vaccinated. There is sometimes suspicion of their mission and motivations, and the work can be dangerous. As we seek to create positive change in our community, we recognize and applaud our fellow Rotarians working against very tall odds to create positive change in their own.