Tiwa Savage becomes Rotary Celebrity Ambassador for polio eradication

Tiwa Savage immunising a child against polio.

Nigerian singer/songwriter Tiwa Savage is the newest face on Rotary’s This Close public awareness campaign for polio eradication.

Savage, described by CNN as Nigeria’s biggest pop star, will help Rotary achieve its goal of a polio-free world by raising awareness about the vaccine-preventable disease.

Last April, in Lagos, the pop star administered  polio vaccine to children during the National Immunisation Days.

Nigeria regularly conducts

mass immunisation campaigns to vaccinate every child under the age of five in the country.

The singer’s participation in this programme comes at a critical juncture. Last year, Nigeria experienced a polio outbreak that paralysed four children after passing nearly two years without a case of the disease. Her involvement in the campaign will raise important awareness that will help ensure the outbreak is stopped.

“This is a cause that hits close to home for me, not only as a mother of a small child, but as a proud Nigerian, whose country has been battling this disease for many years,” said Savage, whose  musical career began at 16 as a backup singer for George Michael.

The Nigerian music star joins other public figures and celebrities participating in Rotary’s public awareness campaign, including Bill Gates, co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation;  actress Kristen Bell; Supermodel Isabeli Fontana and  Nobel Peace Prize laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Others are Jackie Chan; Manny Pacquiao; Psy, Jack Nicklaus and Jane Goodall among others.

Rotary launched its polio immunization program PolioPlus in 1985 and in 1988 became a spearheading partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative with the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and more recently the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Rotary’s roles within the initiative are fundraising, advocacy, raising awareness and mobilizing volunteers. To date, Rotary has contributed more than $1.6 billion and countless volunteer hours to fight polio. Through 2018, every dollar Rotary commits to polio eradication will be matched two-to-one by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation up to $35 million a year. To date, more than 2.5 billion children have been immunized against polio, a paralyzing and sometimes deadly disease.

About Rotary

Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary connects 1.2 million members of more than 35,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work improves lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. To access broadcast quality video footage and still photos of Rotary members immunizing children against polio available go to: The Newsmarket.

Last year, Savage signed with Roc Nation as a management client.  Already a superstar in her home country, her social media has amassed to a staggering 2.9 million followers on Instagram, 1. 8 million on Facebook, and 1.7 million on Twitter.

Savage announced her new partnership with Rotary last week in New York City at a World Immunization Week event. As part of the ‘This Close’ campaign, Savage will be featured in ads raising her thumb and forefinger in the ‘this close’ gesture with the tagline ‘we’re this close to ending polio.’ Since the initiative launched in 1988, the incidence of polio has plummeted by more than 99.9 percent, from about 350,000 cases a year to less than 37 cases in 2016.