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8 | M A C O N M A G A Z I N E J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 1 7 I n late January of this year, I had the extraordinary opportunity to join a group of American Rotarians to participate in the National Immunization Day in India. The purpose was to continue to eradicate polio in India, especially in children under the age of 5. India is an amazing experience of sensory overload. It is truly a sub- continent that holds some of the world's most beautiful, majestic sites but also the most depressing and cruel environments. As soon as you arrive, every sense is overcome - sight, smell, hearing, and this continued my entire trip. In preparation for our immunization work, our team, made up of 15 Rotary members from the United States, met with the World Health Organization, UNICEF and Polio Plus officers in Delhi, India. Here, we learned the incredible history of success eradicating polio in India and the dedicated commitment of these international organizations as well as Rotary International and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 1996, more than 500 polio paralysis cases were reported in Delhi every day, without a well-defined surveillance system in place. To attack this overwhelming epidemic, an intense community-based intervention was developed. This initiative engaged politicians, religious leaders, community leaders, international partners and representatives from all neighborhoods and villages. Indeed, it was an immense undertaking, but a critical piece of the success. Because of this continued intense immunization work, India has been polio free for the last three years. The danger is still ominous because of polio in both Pakistan and Afghanistan with very porous borders and unstable political climates. In addition to working with these health organizations, our journey took us to Calcutta and several rural villages in central India, where we witnessed the devastating effects of polio. Polio victims are relegated to lives as beggars with no access to school or work. We met with mayors and individuals waiting for services at clinics, hospitals and schools. We stayed with families to understand what it is like to live in these communities and understand their way of life. We also stayed at wonderful five- star hotels that reinforced a complex economic and financial system and the role of British colonialism and the effects that remain today. The faith of the Indian people is interwoven in their daily lives and within their communities. Visits to Sikh temples, Hindu shrines, Muslim mosques and Mother Teresa's hospice and orphanages, prepared us for the complex issues that face India and her incredible people today. Our mission was to immunize children, but our preparation not only enabled us to understand the complexities, but allowed us to respond appropriately to the needs of the children. A conversation about India would be incomplete without an honest discussion on poverty. What most of us have heard about the extent of poverty in India is true and grossly underreported. It is systemic, generational and difficult to adequately describe. The slums of the major cities are not "in one part of town," but extend for endless miles. In the rural areas, poverty knows no end, without hope for major change. Yet the people still smile, wave and bring flowers to visitors. Our American psyche will not allow us to understand how and why slums with open sewers, no clean running water, tenements with one bathroom per floor, neighborhood garbage dumps inhabited by wild boars and dogs and no garbage collection still exist in 2017. However, these slums are ever present, with families living and doing the best they can. Our meetings, visits and training during the first part of our journey prepared us for our true mission: bringing lifesaving polio vaccine to the children of India. I was sent to villages northeast of Delhi to start my work on A healing journey Trip to India eye-opening experience for local Rotarian By Gigi Rolfes Editorial