REFLECTION ON POLIO IMMUNISATION EXERCISE
By President Juan A. Asase, Rotary Club of Accra-Adjiriganor
The sun was merciless on the mornings of 22nd and 23rd October in East Legon, reminding us that service sometimes requires not only strength of heart but also strength of body. As Rotarians, we gathered members from the Rotary Clubs of Accra-Adjiriganor, Accra Legon East, and Accra Sunrise to continue what we have been doing for decades worldwide: helping eradicate polio, one child at a time.
East Legon is renowned for its elegance and affluence. However, beyond the walled mansions lie communities where people live in quiet hardship, families struggling daily for dignity and survival. It was in these areas that our mission took us. With vaccine coolers in hand and smiles beneath our Rotary caps, we went door to door, from school to school, heart to heart.
At the Adjiriganor Health Centre, its immediate community and Adjiriganor Basic School, the scene was both tender and powerful. Children under five arrived with bright, curious eyes—some giggling at our strange badges and branded shirts, others clinging tightly to their mothers, suspecting we might be there to harm them. There’s a special moment of connection when a mother finally nods, understanding through a mixture of broken Twi, Ga, English, and sign language that this tiny drop of vaccine means a lifetime of protection for her child.
We laughed, we sweated, we reassured. Sometimes, we improvised using gestures, even playful dances, to explain that we meant no harm but carried hope. It was service in its most human form, where language barriers melted away through compassion and purpose.
By the second day, the exhaustion had taken hold. The Ghanaian sun showed no mercy. Our shirts were soaked, our feet weary, yet our spirits soared. Around us, laughter mingled with cries of startled toddlers, and the air was alive with fellowship and purpose. It was Rotary at its best, with the finest People of Action working side by side and united by a simple yet profound goal: to end polio forever.
As we watched a tiny girl swallow her drops and flash a shy smile, we couldn’t help but think of how far Rotary has come, from a global movement launched decades ago to this moment. Under the hot sun, our mission continues to touch lives in the most unexpected places.
We are deeply grateful to Rotary International District 9104 for fostering collaboration among Rotary members to serve, and to our partner clubs Accra Legon East and Accra Sunrise for joining hands and hearts in this shared mission. Together, we demonstrated that through collaboration, we can reach more people. We recognised that we have added a slight ripple to a global wave of change. One more set of children protected. One more step towards a world free of polio.
