Presidential pledge in Côte d'Ivoire
15 May 2010 -- President Laurent Gbagbo of Côte d'Ivoire pledged US$36,000 to The Rotary Foundation in support of polio eradication while signing the soccer ball 17 May in Abidjan. The ball arrived in the country to a rousing welcome and gala dinner two days earlier, and was paraded through the streets of Treichville on 16 May en route to a football match at Anzoumana Konaté Stadium.
Stop 18
Ball location:
Côte d'Ivoire
Where next:
Mauritania
Sierra Leone scores a goal
10 May 2010 -- The arrival of the soccer ball in Sierra Leone 10 May coincided with the final round of nationwide polio immunizations led by the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the Ministry of Health, and members of the Rotary Club of Freetown.
Stop 17
Ball location:
Sierra Leone
Where next:
Côte d'Ivoire
Keeping Liberia polio-free
7 May 2010 -- Minister of Health and Social Welfare Walter T. Gwenigale urged Liberians to immunize their children against polio as the symbolic soccer ball arrived in its 16th country since leaving South Africa in February. During a signing ceremony held in the auditorium of a high school in Monrovia, the World Health Organization representative to the country underscored the collaborative effort that will be necessary to rid the world of the disease. Students joined Rotarians and health officials as local musicians and dance troupes entertained.
Stop 16
Ball location:
Liberia
Where next:
Sierra Leone
Highlight of conference in Burkina Faso
3 May 2010 -- Seydou Bouda, minister of health for Burkina Faso, noted as he signed the ball 3 May that no new cases of polio had been reported in his country this year as of 21 April. The signing took place at the closing ceremony of the District 9100 (West Africa) Conference in Ouagadougou.
Stop 15
Ball location:
Burkina Faso
Where next:
Liberia
Magical time in Guinea
29 April 2010 -- Guinea PolioPlus Committee Chair Moussa Diakité presented the ball to the country's minister of health during a ceremony attended by Rotarians and health workers in Conakry 29 April. The excitement surrounding the ball's arrival rubbed off on many people, who waited for a chance to photograph or touch the tangible symbol of the continent's determination to end the disease.
Stop 14
Ball location:
Guinea
Where next:
Burkina Faso
All aboard in Ghana
24 April 2010 -- As all 10 of Ghana's regions took part in the second round of synchronized National Immunization Days (NIDs) across 19 African nations, the soccer ball arrived in Accra. Vice President John Dramani Mahama signed the ball on behalf of the government and the people of Ghana during a special ceremony. The ball also accompanied health workers and Rotarians 24 April as they took part in the NIDs.
Stop 13
Ball location:
Ghana
Where next:
Guinea
Landing in Togo
21 April 2010 -- Togo Minister of Health Komlan Mally declared his government's commitment to kick polio out of the country during the ball's arrival 21 April. In Lomé, the nation’s capital and largest city, the ball was presented to the Rotary Club of Lomé. Four past club presidents and Togo PolioPlus Committee Chair Germain Gbehomilo Nyelolo Tomegah had gathered in its honor.
Stop 12
Ball location:
Togo
Where next:
Ghana
Mobilizing volunteers in Benin
15 April 2010 -- The ball's arrival in Benin served as a powerful catalyst to mobilize volunteers for an immunization drive beginning 24 April in the country and 18 other West and Central African nations. After a press conference and signing by dignitaries, the ball stopped at several Rotary clubs in Benin. It ended its stay at the Rene Pleven Stadium, where Rotarians, UNICEF staff, and coaches from the national soccer team attended two matches.
Stop 11
Ball location:
Benin
Where next:
Togo
Nigeria welcomes soccer ball
10 April 2010 -- The symbolic soccer ball received a rousing welcome as it touched down 10 April in Abuja, Nigeria. In February 2009, governors from all 36 Nigerian states gathered in the city to sign a commitment to polio eradication. Minister of State for Health Alhaji Suleiman Bello autographed the ball at a ceremony at the National Stadium press center. The three-day visit also included a cocktail party at the home of Past RI President Jonathan Majiyagbe and a formal presentation of the ball to the Northern Traditional Leaders Committee on Primary Health Care.
Stop 10
Ball location:
Nigeria
Where next:
Benin
Caravan through Cameroun
7 April 2010 -- The soccer ball's arrival in Douala, Cameroun, dovetailed with a meeting of The Rotary Foundation's African Regional PolioPlus Committee. Traditional dancers and music accompanied the ball as it arrived at the committee’s hotel, where it was signed by the minister of health. After a media event, a caravan of DHL vehicles, taxis, motorbikes, and a car displaying the End Polio Now logo paraded through the streets of Douala.
Stop 9
Ball location:
Cameroun
Where next:
Nigeria
Eight countries down, 14 to go
1 April 2010 -- The ball arrives in the Central African Republic.
Stop 8
Ball location:
Central African Republic
Where next:
Cameroun
Khartoum soccer match
25 March 2010 -- The ball was presented to the Sudanese minister of health in Khartoum and served as the centerpiece of a match between two of Khartoum’s biggest soccer clubs, attended by thousands of fans.The newly chartered Rotary Club of Juba, South Sudan, proudly received the ball 26 March during its first visit to an Arab country in Africa.
Stop 7
Ball location:
Sudan
Where next:
Central African Republic
Grand celebration in Ethiopia
20 March 2010 -- A celebration greeted the ball in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. President Girma Woldegiorgis, Minister of Health Kebede Worku, and other government officials attended, along with 450 people who wore yellow Kick Polio Out of Africa shirts and caps. Rotarians, Rotaractors, and Interactors held up End Polio Now banners and sang "Kick Polio Out of Africa" in English and Amharic. Signing the ball, Woldegiorgis declared his personal commitment to ending the disease. The president and two people who had survived polio ended the celebration by immunizing four children.
Stop 6
Ball location:
Ethiopia
Where next:
Sudan
Whirlwind tour of Kenya
18 March 2010 -- The prime minister of Kenya, Raila Odinga, welcomed the ball and Rotarians during the ball’s four-day visit to the country. The minister of public health signed the ball before it was taken to a clinic in Kibera where Rotarians carry out grassroots immunizations. The ball stopped at several Rotary clubs and a primary school in Thika for children with disabilities.
Stop 5
Ball location:
Kenya
Where next:
Ethiopia
Source of the Nile
10 March 2010 -- After touching down 10 March in Kampala, Uganda, the ball toured several Rotary clubs in the country, including the oldest, the Rotary Club of Kampala. After a reception during a special session of parliament, the ball made a stop at Jinja, the source of the Nile River. Rotarians took the ball on a courtesy call to Prime Minister Apolo Nsibambi, a past president of the Rotary Club of Kampala-West, and later danced the night away with an Afrigo Band performance before sending it on to its next destination.
Stop 4
Ball location:
Uganda
Where next:
Kenya
Motor car parade
07 March 2010 -- A festive celebration marked the ball's arrival in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The minister of public health signed the ball, which was celebrated with a motor car parade through the city’s streets. Staff Benda Bilili, a Congolese band composed of polio survivors and former street children, has lent its voice to the push to kick polio out of the continent.
Read more about Staff Benda Bilili
Stop 3
Ball location:
The Democratic Republic of Congo
Where next:
Uganda
Soccer star signs ball
26 February 2010 -- The ball arrived in Luanda, Angola. Manuel de Sousa, president of the Rotary Club of Luanda, took it to one of three monuments acknowledging Rotary's contributions to polio eradication in the country. Fabrice Akwa, one of Angola's most popular and revered soccer players, signed the ball, adding his support to the polio eradication effort.
Stop 2
Ball location:
Angola
Where next:
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Kick off
23 February 2010 -- Hans Vonk, goalkeeper for the Ajax Cape Town professional soccer team, gave the ball a kick at a restaurant in Cape Town, South Africa, launching the Kick Polio Out of Africa awareness campaign. The ball, signed by Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and others, will travel through 22 polio-affected countries on the continent before arriving in Montréal, Québec, Canada, for the RI Convention.
Read a story about the launch of the soccer ball in Cape Town, South Africa
Stop 1
Ball location:
South Africa
Where next:
Angola