Hope for Rural Women (HORUWO), a community-based organization in the Kasese District of Uganda working to implement community health education and livelihood improvement projects, has just wrapped up their beekeeping project. This project was created in response to climate change, which has caused both extreme flooding and droughts and nearly wiped out the region’s farming industry. HORUWO sought to create a sustainable source of income for men and women facing poverty, HIV/AIDS and illiteracy. The Kasese district has an HIV/AIDS prevalence rate of 11.2%, creating major health problems for men and women who are already facing poverty.
The organization found that beekeeping could be a sustainable replacement for traditional farming. The raw materials to create beehives are readily available and honey has a number of medicinal properties, in addition to being highly valued in local and international markets. Beehives are much less sensitive to extreme changes in weather which makes it a smart long term source of income. Beginning in February of 2022, the organization selected 35 members of the community who lacked a source of income, many due to HIV/AIDS and illiteracy, to train in beekeeping. They purchased 15 beehives and trained the cohort on how to manage an apiary, collect honey and sell it at market.
They have just completed their first cohort of the program and it was a success. The beehives are thriving, and the community members are now able to provide for themselves and are beginning to earn income through this new skillset. HORUWO has received additional funding from Rockflower and is now looking to the future and hopes to expand the project and create livelihoods for even more people in poverty.