Port Harcourt, Rivers State — The Rotary Club of Port Harcourt Garden City has announced an ambitious ₦17 million service plan for the 2025–2026 Rotary year, focusing on skill acquisition and sanitation. The projects were unveiled by President of the club, amidst a gathering of Rotarians, awardees, and guests.
“Our purpose is to bring hope where there is despair, to lift people up, and to transform lives,” the president stated, highlighting the club’s commitment to community welfare.
The flagship initiatives include a ₦10 million Skill Acquisition and Empowerment Project designed to combat unemployment and empower local individuals. The project will provide intensive, hands-on training to ten beneficiaries in skills such as tailoring, baking, hairdressing, scaffolding, and truck driving. Critically, each trainee will be fully equipped with the necessary tools to launch their businesses immediately after the program.
“This is not charity; this is about giving people the tools to create their own future,” the president emphasized, likening the initiative to the proverb, “We are not giving them the fish; we are teaching them how to fish.”
In a second major initiative, the club plans to construct modern toilet facilities at the School for Special Needs Children on Creek Road, Port Harcourt. This project, estimated to cost ₦7 million, aims to address the critical lack of sanitation infrastructure that exposes vulnerable residents to infections. The plan includes the construction of two restrooms for male residents, two for female residents, and an additional two for staff.
“Hygiene is a basic right,” the president said, adding that the project is about “protecting vulnerable lives, preventing disease, and restoring dignity to a community that deserves to be seen and cared for.”
The club has already been active this year, with completed projects including the distribution of “Mama packs” to expectant mothers, an oral health check for almost 1,000 children at Model Primary School, Elekahia, and a sanitation sensitization campaign at Marine Base market.
Calling for community support, the president invoked the club’s theme for the year: “To Unite for a Good.” He urged partners to contribute to the projects, assuring them that all donations would be handled with “integrity, transparency, and accountability.”
