Kenya

This self-help group is located in Bahati area, Nakuru County about six kilometres from Bahati town.

The area is adjacent to Bahati forest, an area with adequate bee forage. The group is reported to be made up of thirty members but our interaction has been with fifteen members (eight women and seven men).

The group jointly own 25 Langstroth hives, and four of its members have individual hives. Other activities of the group include table banking and general agriculture which is practiced at the individual level.

Partnership Managers: John & Mary Home john_home@beesabroad.org.uk

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Introducing the project

The Kiini Sustainable Initiative (KISI) is a bee-keeping initiative located in Kirinyaga County, in Kenya.

The Initiative, made up from several groups, is community owned and is self- supported in most of its activities. The support provided by Bees Abroad focuses on capacity building.

The project aims to assist in sensitising farmers on the importance of bees and bee products. Through capacity building, the group plans to increase their incomes from sale of honey and other hive products, and ultimately, to establish a sustainable bee enterprise. CERA-Rights is the Local Delivery Partner – they have worked very successfully with Bees Abroad for several years.

Partnership Managers: John & Mary Home john_home@beesabroad.org.uk

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Introducing the project

The Mothers’ Union of the Anglican Church of Kenya (MUACK) is affiliated to St. Andrews Nanyuki Parish in Nanyuki town, in Laikipia County, Kenya.

It is mainly a ladies fellowship in the church that has been actively involved in Anglican Church activities including evangelism, mentorship to motherhood and in Church development projects.

Besides being actively involved in church activities, the Mothers Union has a welfare department that aims at supporting each member of the group. The welfare was started in 2009 with ten mothers; today it has grown to 24 active and committed members undertaking group activities.

In order to avoid conflicts with other church activities, the welfare group has registered a group by the name ‘Joy Mothers Self Help Group’. It is this group that has become involved in beekeeping.

Partnership Managers: John & Mary Home john_home@beesabroad.org.uk

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Introducing the project

Nakhuba Young Farmers group is located on the western part of the country about five kilometres from Webuye town, Kakamega County. The group has a current membership of 43 members.

It was started six years ago, to work as a welfare group mainly doing table banking and promoting sustainable agriculture for household food security. (Table banking is where members hold monthly meetings where their contributions are put on the table. Every member is entitled to a short- or long-term loan).

Beekeeping was identified as an alternative source of income for the group members to help eradicate poverty among women and young people. The area has potential for beekeeping, with enough forage and water for bees throughout the year. All the beekeepers have been trained on the various aspects of beekeeping.

The group is community owned and is largely self- supporting in most of its activities. However, some support has been provided by Bees Abroad, focused on capacity building.

Partnership Managers: John & Mary Home john_home@beesabroad.org.uk

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Introducing the project

The Kisii project extends over two counties in Kenya – Kiisi and Nyamira. The main aim of the project was to support the alleviation of poverty and improve livelihoods among the project members and the local community, to improve their health and promote self-reliance.

By improving the income for group members through beekeeping, the project could achieve greater food security as well as addressing other household needs. The group is community owned and is self- supported in most of its activities. The support provided by Bees Abroad focuses on capacity building, with CERA-Rights as the Local Delivery Partner, whose Programme Coordinator is Joseph Gitonga.

Partnership Managers: John & Mary Home john_home@beesabroad.org.uk

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Introducing the project

Unlike other group projects that have been community driven, the Taita project was unique in that it came about as a result of research findings. The aim was to address the need for additional income for household commodities and payment of school fees.

The study on climate and land use identified beekeeping as a potential source of household income. It was taken by Rebecca Newman, from Helsinki University, in collaboration with the University of York, the Nairobi-based International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland.

Partnership Managers: John & Mary Home john_home@beesabroad.org.uk

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Introducing the project

Nzeveni Beekeepers Self Help Group is a Community Based Organisation (CBO) that was established in 2016 and registered in December 2018. The organization has its office in Nzeveni shopping centre, in Muthungine sub location, Makueni County in Kenya.

The group was created as an umbrella, merging all small beekeeping groups to promote the industry through supporting one another to increase the number of hives, pooling resources together as one group and to promote environmental conservation within Nzambani Location. The umbrella organisation’s interventions are aimed at improving livelihoods and food security through increased income from sales of value-added honey and other hive products.

Partnership Managers: John & Mary Home john_home@beesabroad.org.uk

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Introducing the project

The Nyakach Sustainable Beekeepers Group is an umbrella group of beekeepers at Kanyamrori near Katito trading centre, Nyakach Sub-County Kisumu County. The members of the beekeepers group come from a women’s group entitled the Yie Kuom Winjo Kogola Women Group.

The group is community owned and is self- supported for most of its activities. The group wished to become involved in beekeeping in the community as a sustainable farming method for securing livelihoods as well as ensuring food security and promoting more tree‑planting than tree‑cutting.

They hope to increase household food security and incomes through establishment of a bee projects enterprise for the group members and their families. This project only started in 2020, but has already made substantial progress.

Partnership Managers: John & Mary Home john_home@beesabroad.org.uk

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