Read out about the work and impact of Bees Abroad projects in Uganda
Read out about the work and impact of Bees Abroad projects in Uganda
We are supporting our long term delivery partner LIDEFO (lidefouganda.org) to become self-sufficient by increasing sales of honey to a wider market. We plan hope to transform them into a Social Enterprise supporting Beekeeping & Beekeepers in the Kaese Region of Uganda.
Certification of their honey by the UNBS (Uganda National Bureau of Standards) is a key step on their journey. Selling honey without it leavs retail outles open to presecution.
The journey to achieve certification is going well but the requirements have been tricky to establish in advance of the inspections by the UNBS inspection team.
Beekeeping will support their mission which is to empower rural communities, especially women, with sills and knowledge to reduce poverty, end malnutrition and increase women’s voices and agency.
Our local project delivery partner will provide training and field support to 25 members, each representing a household. They will receive hives and all essential beekeeping equipment. We will monitor progress and provide ongoing mentoring and further training until they are competent beekeepers which usually takes around 3 years. We will give particular support to Anita the group leader who has a degree in community development in the hope that she will train others in the future.
The ‘Road Barrier Widows’ is a group of 32 women who face several challenges that come with the loss of their husbands. Firstly, their income potential is significantly reduced, leaving them economically vulnerable. Secondly, traditional Ugandan households depend on the labour of both spouses both for childcare and to tend their smallholdings, and with the loss of their husbands, this crucial support is lost. Lastly, being a widow in Uganda carries a social stigma due to cultural beliefs and societal norms, which can further compound the challenges faced by these resilient women.
This is a foundation project delivered through a new trainer to a group based in a new geographic area (Southwestern Uganda) for Bees Abroad. We will train and support 45 women in the Biringo Women Development Agency (BIWODA) in bee-keeping so that they can become self-sustainable in this practise and earn additional income to support education, community development and housing
We will support the women to learn to keep bees effectively and healthily; then support them in learning to harvest honey, selling this through local markets and making other hive products. We would like this group to be entirely self-sufficient over time – including building and making their own bee-hives, suits and other equipment
Bees Abroad
The Keepers
Symn Lane
Wotton-under-Edge
Gloucestershire
GL12 7BD, UK
Telephone: (+44) 07942 815753
Info@beesabroad.org.uk
