Objective: To train and equip a group of poor women to enable them to run independently a sustainable beekeeping activity.

Background: The Growth Project NGO, Nairobi, has submitted a beekeeping project which aims to give the 60 women belonging to the Ndiceraga Womens Group in the Nyandarua district the chance to generate income in an area hit by high levels of unemployment. The members of the group include widows, squatters, single mothers and abandoned wives who share accommodation with relatives or jointly rent accommodation in villages or small towns. The main objective is to enable the women to become self employed, to raise their standard of living and levels of self respect. Basic training will be carried out by experienced bee keepers selected by Honey Care Africa (www.honeycareafrica.com) in cooperation with officers from the Kenyan Ministry of Agriculture Nyandarua office, who have expressed their willingness to assist in the launch of the scheme. The women themselves will provide labour while the Growth Project NGO will arrange and cover the costs of the experienced bee keepers and initial administration of the project. After the honey has been extracted and filtered it will be sold in the project area, as a component of the local beer and food products. The Ndiceraga womens group has pointed out that large amounts of honey are consumed as part of traditional Kenyan wedding ceremonies.
The project proposal was referred to Dr Nicola Bradbear of the UK NGO Bees for Development www.beesfordevelopment.org . Dr Bradbear suggested that the relatively expensive Langstroth (frame) hives originally proposed by the requesting group are in some ways inappropriate for Kenya (see March 2009 Bees for Development Journal for a discussion of why frame hives are unsuitable for the rural poor in tropical Africa). Dr Bradbear also alerted the Fund to the maintenance costs of frame hives, given the need further ancillary equipment such an extractor and replacement materials in future years. Bees for Development suggested 1% funds could be more usefully used for making hives in the local Nyandarua community. Further to an e-mail exchange with The Growth Project, it was agreed that local carpenters will make top-bar hives, meaning 1% funds will benefit the community twice - a) by creating employment for the carpenters who will make the hives, and b) by giving the Growth Project low technology top-bar hives, which are more durable, and will not need spare parts in the future.

Use of Funds: 1. Construction of 50 bee hives and purchase of colonies
2. Pest and disease control
3. Training by Nyandarua district ministry of agriculture official
4. Transport and fuel
5. Honey storage containers (purchased from Honey Care)