Kenya - Sand River Beekeeping Projects

Olpalagilagi Women’s Group Beekeeping Project

Last year, 24 graduates from our Olpalagilagi Adult Education Program formed a group and expressed a keen desire to us to become beekeepers to improve their livelihoods. This group come from four villages in the Sand River Region.

Thanks to your help, we have been able to provide them with the equipment, and we have begun training them to become beekeepers so they can access this income-generating opportunity. 

In September, we provided them with 20 hives securely installed in two protective metal cages, and 10 catcher boxes.

Since then, Marias, our new Projects Officer, who is a beekeeping trainer, has been running their training, and now nine of their hives are already full of bees!

We’ve been inspired by the passion of the women to already take ownership of the project and implement their training. For example, their cages are being kept clean and tidy, and the grass surrounding them is being kept short to prevent attacks from ants.

Mary Munguti (left) and Naomi Kaitument (below) are two of the members of the group who have demonstrated great resilience and bravery in their inspection and transfer of bees from their catcher boxes to their hives.

Thank you so much to those of you who have helped to support the education and economic empowerment of these women through our foundation. We look forward to continuing their training this year and to updating you on their progress.

Olderkesi Women’s Groups Beekeeping Project

In the middle of the Sand River Region, the Paraikong, Enyuata, Oloserian, Oloningo, and Oloisula women’s groups near Olderkesi have 20 hives, 15 of which are full, and 30 bee catcher boxes which are collecting more bees to fill the remaining hives.

These groups’ 2-year training has been significantly delayed due to their original beekeeping trainer needing repeated major shoulder surgery, but Marias is now working with him on a plan to complete their training. Marias is also helping them to try and find the best site for the remainder of their hives, but this is continuing to prove challenging due to the shifting sands of the land adjudication situation in their area and the need to find a site with adequate water and forage for the bees.

However, they have had their first harvest from their hives, and Indi, Peter, and Uhuru purchased the honey to use in the RAS Mara camps, which provided the women with some much-needed income. Indi, Peter, and Uhuru plan to continue to buy their honey from future harvests for the RAS Camps, and this is a small example of the compounded strength that the Royal African Foundation and Royal African Safaris have for long-term impact together.

We look forward to continuing to share these women’s groups’ progress with you. Thank you so much to those of you who have supported them and given them this opportunity to create sustainable businesses out of beekeeping to help them and their families.

Donate

If you would like to donate to these projects you can do so through our foundation. Your donation will go to the project you choose and your donation to our registered 501(c)(3) charity is tax-deductible as provided for by law. Please contact us if you have any questions.