The Club decided that the best way to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary in 2014 would be to provide fifty houses to disadvantaged people living in poorly constructed homes. We first enlisted the support of the National Empowerment Foundation (NEF) and sought its advice on places where needs were greatest. The NEF came fully on board and, as well as making a significant financial contribution, assisted the Club with further advice and with administrative procedures.

The focus was placed on Cité Marjolin on the outskirts of Port Louis but also included deserving cases in Grand Port, Surinam and Black River (with the support of their local Rotary clubs). One side aspect of the project was that a former prison convict was the beneficiary of one of the houses, a first in Mauritius.

The project has also involved working with specific NGOs active in the Marjolin vicinity and was followed up with a social-support project, Unleashing potential. The plan now is to landscape the area around the site and construct a craft centre.

This has been a very expensive project, only made possible by the support of sponsors and the NEF. About Rs150,000 is still needed to complete the project.