SALT LAKE CITY — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints made a donation of $10 million to help in the fight to eradicate polio and provide other vaccinations for people around the world.
Money will help eradicate polio in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and a select number of African countries and also help eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus in areas where the disease is prevalent.
Half of the $10 million will go directly to Rotary International, an organization known globally for its efforts in preventing polio. Church officials report that any donation to Rotary gets matched 2-to-1 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Of the $5 million donation to Rotary, half of that will go towards helping African countries regain progress in the fight against polio that was lost during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Church officials report that in some areas, polio has reemerged because of a lack of efforts during the pandemic.
“Rotary is grateful for this very generous contribution from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," said Michael K. McGovern, chair of Rotary’s International PolioPlus Committee in a church press release. "The funding comes at a critical time for polio eradication efforts and will help protect children from lifelong paralysis due to the poliovirus.”
The other half of the church's $10 million donation will go to UNICEF to support efforts in eliminating maternal and neonatal tetanus.
With the donation, UNICEF, the World Health Organization and other partners will eliminate the spread of tetanus by vaccine administration to women of reproductive age and during pregnancy.
Money will also help promote clean delivery and cord care practices, church officials report.
“Through its humanitarian services, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has supported UNICEF’s maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination programs since 2014,” said Carla Haddad Mardini, UNICEF’s Director of Private Sector Fundraising and Partnerships in a church press release. “We are grateful for this collaboration, which provides flexible resources that enable UNICEF and its partners to reach women in high-risk countries with essential vaccines while also strengthening health systems.”
