Hear from Polio Champions
See the different ways supporters from around the world have recently joined the fight for a polio-free world.
Meet some of our polio champions
Ramesh Ferris: Canadian Rotarian, immunization advocate and polio survivor
Ramesh Ferris is a Rotary member, author, speaker and international immunization advocate. He contracted polio as a young child in India and was adopted by a family in Canada’s Yukon territory. In 2008, he hand-cycled 7,140 kilometers from Victoria, British Columbia to Cape Spear, Newfoundland to raise funds and awareness for polio eradication. In 2024, he presented a Team End Polio jersey to Canada’s Minister of International Development at the announcement of Canada’s CA$151 million pledge to the GPEI.
“I hope to see the end of polio in my lifetime. And I will never give up on this cause.”
Follow Ramesh on Instagram (@rameshferris) and X (@RAMESHFERRIS).
Anne Wafula Strike: British Paralympian, author and polio survivor
Anne Wafula Strike MBE is a British Paralympic wheelchair racer, author and inclusion advocate. Born in Kenya, she contracted polio at age two and went on to become one of the first female wheelchair racers from Africa to compete at the Paralympics, at Athens in 2004. She is a polio ambassador for Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland and founded the Olympia-Wafula Foundation, which supports people with disabilities in Kenya, Malawi and other Commonwealth countries.
“No child today should live in fear of polio. I believe that together, and only together, we can create a world free from this terrible disease for children everywhere”
Follow Anne on Instagram (@anne_w_strike) and X (@Anne_W_Strike).
Junior Bosila Banya (Bboy Junior): French breakdancer, choreographer and polio survivor
Junior Bosila Banya, known as Bboy Junior, is a dancer, choreographer and comedian widely regarded as one of the world’s best breakdancers of the past two decades. Born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he contracted polio as a child and moved to France, where he won France’s Got Talent in 2007. Junior joined the December 2023 #ENDPOL10 tournament at the Eiffel Tower, and he uses his platform to speak about immunization and healthy masculinity.
“Dancing was my way to get the revenge for the polio.”
Follow Junior on Instagram (@bboyjuniorofficiel).
Michael Essien: Ghanaian football legend and immunization advocate
Michael Essien played for Chelsea and for Ghana’s national team, earning more than 50 caps. He is now a coach and an advocate for immunization and polio eradication. In June 2024, he and his wife, Akosua Puni Essien, visited Liberia to learn about the country’s immunization and polio eradication work. In December 2025, he joined five other African football stars in the Kick Out Polio campaign during the Africa Cup of Nations.
“I overcame many challenges in my football career to become who I am today. In the same way, I believe Africa can overcome the challenge of eradicating polio and achieve a polio‑free future. “
Follow Michael on Instagram (@michaelessien) and X (@michaelessien).
Past moments
Rise Together: Strava Challenge
From 24 April – 24 May 2025, Rise Together invited people to join the challenge on Strava. More than 86,000 participants logged over 120 million minutes of movement, surpassing the collective goal of 40 million minutes set for the 20 million people able to walk today thanks to efforts against polio and the 20 million health workers and volunteers dedicated to ending polio.
Tournament to #ENDPOL10
In December 2023, in an exhilarating event at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, influential figures from French esports united to battle @P0L_10, a persistent adversary in the FC 24 community and an alias for polio—a wily yet defeatable foe. These competitors successfully “Ended @Pol10” and proved that we can beat polio through collective action. They also brought together other partners in this fight for a polio-free world, like French football club Paris Saint-Germain, polio survivor and Red Bull breakdancer Bboy Junior, and advocacy partners like Rotary and Focus 2030.
Make Polio History Campaign
In 2023, in a countdown to World Polio Day on 24 October, polio champions joined the Make Polio History campaign to call on leaders of polio-affected countries, donors and partners to seize the historic opportunity to deliver a polio-free world. To explore the campaign more, see here.2
Soccer Aid
At the June 2023 edition of Soccer Aid for UNICEF in Manchester, United Kingdom, celebrities, fans, and global health leaders came together to raise over US $18M for UNICEF efforts including polio eradication and global immunization. Throughout the training week leading up to the match, Soccer Aid talent including Liam Payne, Eni Aluko and Vicky McClure called for global support for polio eradication efforts, showing that you don’t have to be a health expert to support a polio-free future for children worldwide.
Signing the Scientific Declaration on Polio Eradication
Launched in October 2022, the Scientific Declaration on Polio Eradication sent a powerful message from over 3,2000 global experts about the feasibility of eradication and the urgent need to end polio everywhere.
Penning op-eds
Polio champions have authored a number of op-eds, calling for global support to end polio. Check out a few below!