In Mwanza with Mama Hive

I thought I would have all this time over the two months I was away to post blog updates (and visit more people and do more things etc etc), but it didn't quite work out that way! But it was an incredible time with wonderful people and I do want to share it with you! So now that I am back in Bath, UK and trying to find my feet again, I will update the blog with a bit from Uganda with Elephants and Bees, a bit from Mwanza with Mama Hive (in this post) and a bit from Arusha with SAFI (See Ability First), and then a bit of what's cookin' for the Mongers next year...

Back in Mwanza with the mamas!

First, Mwanza... it was so good to be back again. I stayed at the Emmanuel International (EI) office and the greatest blessing was being next door to the wonderful Newby family... Joel and Samantha opened their home to me and it was lovely to share a delicious meal with them after busy days and enjoy story time and games with their awesome kids! 

Hephzie and Ethan Newby supporting the Mama Hive opening!

It was good to be back with the EI team and see all that they are doing and I also had the great bonus of being able to celebrate both Canadian Thanksgiving in October and American Thanksgiving in November, so a good opportunity to catch up with friends old and new! 

Mama Hive: Empowering Women. Crafting Futures. 

My focus in Mwanza was to help the women of Mama Hive with the launch of their new honey and beeswax social enterprise and opening of their new shop. They have been working hard for over a year on their registration as a Tanzanian NGO and set-up as a charitable social enterprise. With a board from Beacon Mission Christian Centre appointed, documents in place, a place to rent and a bank account opened, it was time to launch the newly branded products and begin to expand the business in order to grow and be able to support and disciple more women with albinism or other disabilities. They are able to buy and market the honey from the different beekeeping groups in the surrounding villages ... and it is wonderful to see and taste each unique honey from the different groups. The most recent Kome Island honey (see more about the Kome Island beekeeping project here) proved extremely popular at the honey-tastings. Mama Hive also buys local beeswax and the women produce beautiful candles and balms and kitenge beeswraps. Through selling quality honey and beeswax products across Tanzania, they want to advocate and create awareness for people with albinism and other disabilities and see lives transformed through the income-generating work and Christian mentorship. Aikande, the Mama Hive Manager, is doing an amazing job; her servant heart, tenacious hard-working nature and ability to learn on the job is pulling everything together! We have really appreciated the wonderful work from Alisha Hutchinson and George Eapen who have helped with the new branding as Mama Hive seeks to better share the story through the honey and beeswax products! 

Monica labelling the new gift jars of honey

Each honey from the different beekeeping groups is so unique! 
Different colours and tastes depending on the forage for the bees.

It was an incredibly busy time leading up to the Mama Hive Open Day ... there was a room to fix up and turn into a shop, the workshop was buzzing with a rotation of women busy making candles, balms and beeswraps, there were printed materials to design and labels to print, and there were all kinds of administrative and financial logistics to sort out! Somehow we made it to November 23rd, and the Mama Hive shop was officially opened!  It was wonderful to welcome people from the community to come and see the shop, do some honey tasting and shopping and sit and enjoy Kilimanjaro Coffee and cakes! We appreciated the support from local businesses... we have been particularly grateful to Manjis Tools and Hardware for their kind help! We pray this will be the beginning of a successful business for these women!

Before ... 

... and after

Selling beeswax balms, candles, beeswraps... 

Honey Tasting

There is still much to work on (your prayers and support are much appreciated!), but it was really special to be with the mamas for the opening of the new shop ... they have all come such a long way since we started meeting together years ago as Upendo wa Mama (Mother's Love). And the love they have received from God and poured out for their children, for one another and for others is truly making a difference and our prayer is that through Mama Hive, this will extend even more! The women have savings and loans scheme set up and have been able to start small enterprises at home and also pay education and medical bills. Their children are growing up and it is wonderful with them to celebrate life and education, graduations and now weddings! And so good to see not just their own children (and some grandchildren) get a good education and know they are valued and created with a purpose, but also other young children with albinism that the group has been able to support and help. 

There is so much more I could say, but I just want to share about Zuena, one of the women in the group, giving thanks for her life! She battles with diabetes, and in the summer, she was looking at losing her lower leg and more than probably, her life, as an infection in her foot worsened and the cost of treatment and medication was far more than she could ever afford or the group could help with. She wanted me to share now her huge gratefulness to the friends that supported her financially and through prayer through this incredibly difficult time. She knows others who have died in the same situation ... left on the doorsteps of hospital with no way to pay the medical bills. And she knows others who have just had to amputate early as unable to pay for the treatment. She thanks God for his healing and help through His people, as she now walks again and is able to return to work! This is not the first time that the group has saved a life and made medical care possible in an otherwise impossible situation, and it has opened up the opportunity and desire to do more to help and minister in this way in the future. I really do want to thank each individual that heard about Zuena back in the summer, and gave to provide this life-saving care for Zuena and we are praying that God will water this seed of an idea to be longer-lasting and further-reaching!

Zuena filtering beeswax