To help create awareness and support for the global effort to protect all children from polio, Rotary’s international convention featured two virtual reality videos that immersed viewers into the lives of those still impacted by the disease, and what it will take to eradicate it worldwide. Download the Rotary VR app in Google Play or the Apple App Store to view “I Dream of an Empty Ward." You will need a VR headset (it's easy to make one at home using these instructions here) as well as headphones and a wifi connection.
If you don't have the equipment to watch it in VR, you can still view the 360-degree video here.
Polio eradication has been Rotary’s top priority since 1985. In 1988, Rotary became a leading partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, along with the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and later, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Since the initiative launched, the incidence of polio has plummeted by more than 99.9 percent, from about 350,000 cases in 1988 to just 22 confirmed cases in two countries in 2017.