The Rotary Club of Portsmouth advances its commitment to service about self and making a change in the lives of individuals around Dominica. 

Through the recent Christmas Hamper Initiative, several families in need in the north, north east and south east  benefited from the goods donated by kind shoppers around Dominica at participating supermarkets to include food, personal care items as well as toys for children. The Rotary Club of Portsmouth expresses gratitude to all who donated items and to our participating supermarkets who supported this initiative. These include: H.H.V. Whitchurch and Co. Ltd, Lindo Mart, and Jollys Pharmacy in Roseau, LH Enterprise and Savers in Picard, Northern Food Supplies and Titanium Groceries in Portsmouth.

President of the Rotary Club of Portsmouth Kenneth O’Brien stated, “I am pleased to have such a great team and to be a part of this humanitarian effort. I am also grateful for the support of our Club Members who have supported individuals impacted by the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. We extend sincere condolences for the loss of lives, livelihoods and resources. We take the opportunity to encourage all to be a part of making a difference in the lives of others.

In 2022 Rotary Club of Portsmouth spearheaded a Beekeeping Project that provided Thirty (30) budding beekeepers with apiary management and business related training, hives, personal protective equipment and beekeeping tools. As part of that project the total value received by each beekeeper was over XCD3,000 each. This project included the design, and publications of a Beekeeping Activity Workbook for kids and supported an awareness campaign, to educate the public on the importance of bees. This campaign  involved the painting of murals and other activities conducted by students of the 4 Clubs. 

According to Project Chair, Mc Marara Joseph, of the Rotary Club of Portsmouth, “The Club is progressive in seeking opportunities to create and enhance livelihoods of Beekeepers in Dominica.” McMarara also shared, “In building on the BeeKeeping initiative commenced in 2022 in collaboration with the Rotary Clubs of Bracebridge and Kingston in Canada and supported by IsraAID Dominica, we are excited to take this initiative further. We are grateful to have been recently awarded a grant as one of two local recipients of The Republic Bank’s Enabling Sustainable Futures – Be The One To Make The Change Challenges which is part of Social Transformation in the EC Territories. We look forward to further equipping BeeKeepers to access the necessary resources to increase their production thereby enhancing the honey production in Dominica.”

The Rotary Club of Portsmouth has secured  funding to begin the implementation of a Tree Planting Project this year. The Rotary Club of Portsmouth will be collaborating with a local nursery  and farmers to increase the availability of citrus in Dominica in the coming years. The vision for the Tree Planting Project is to ensure that Dominica’s children have the opportunity to benefit from the nutrition of tropical fruits in addition to enhancing the livelihoods of farmers in the rural communities. Hurricane Maria destroyed a large number of the island’s fruit trees. As such, the Rotary Club of Portsmouth is determined to contribute to the restoration of the same.

As Rotary around the world celebrates 118 years of impactful existence, the Rotary Club of Portsmouth is committed to the 2022-2023 theme to Imagine Rotary, to act to make its dreams become reality and to make Dominica a better place. This is being accomplished by engaging more with each other and using these connections to build partnerships that change the world.