In presenting a cheque of US$ 200 000 to WHO during the SwissCom Challenge tennis tournament in Kloten, Switzerland on behalf of the Rotary clubs of Switzerland, Dr Heinrich Walti, past Rotary District Governor said, "Some local doctors have nothing but a table, a telephone and a stethoscope in their practice. To successfully eradicate polio globally, we must reach every child in the most remote and dangerous areas of the world. That means laboratories need to be adequately equipped to track the poliovirus, and reliable transportation and training for health workers are vital."

Five-time Grand Slam winner and WHO Goodwill Ambassador for polio eradication, Ms Martina Hingis presented a cheque for US$ 35 000. As part of a public awareness campaign called "Match Point Against Polio", Ms Hingis is raising funds, public awareness and participation to eradicate the disease.

"Polio is preventable. Children should no longer be paralysed by this terrible disease. I hope that my continued support will bring us one step closer to eradicating polio for good," Ms Hingis said.

As part of her campaign at the SwissCom Challenge, Ms Hingis also gave a special tennis clinic to 18 children and educated them about the crippling disease. Currently, polio is endemic in 30 countries, many of which are ravaged by conflict and are amongst the poorest in the world. Once the world is certified polio-free, the annual savings are estimated to be US$ 1.5 billion — resources which can be redirected to other public health initiatives.

Accepting the donations on behalf of WHO, Chris Maher, Scientist, Global Polio Eradication Initiative, said, "One of the key challenges to achieving polio eradication by 2005 is a US$ 450 million funding shortfall. We must focus the world’s attention to finish the job. Tonight Martina and the Rotary clubs of Switzerland have brought us closer to this goal."

By 2005, Rotary's financial commitment will reach US$ 500 million. In addition, thousands of Rotary volunteers assist in vaccine delivery, social mobilization and logistical help.

Swiss Rotary clubs have adopted Somalia as a priority. To date, approximately 100 clubs have participated in fundraising and volunteer activities to support polio eradication efforts in that country.

The international polio eradication effort, launched in 1988, is spearheaded by WHO, Rotary International, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

This coalition also includes national governments; private foundations (e.g. United Nations Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation); development banks (e.g. World Bank); donor governments (e.g. Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal, United Kingdom and United States of America); humanitarian organizations (e.g. the International Red Cross and Red Crescent movement) and corporate partners (e.g. Aventis Pasteur, De Beers). Volunteers in developing countries also play a key role; ten million have participated in mass immunization campaigns.