After living in Tanzania for many years, we now live in the UK and enjoy working with Amigos Worldwide and Bees Abroad as we continue to be passionate about seeing local churches transform their communities!

Beekeeping

Beekeeping in Tanzania from Rachel Monger on Vimeo.


Thank you to Bees Abroad UK, Basingstoke Community Churches and Basingstoke Beekeepers Association for your support for this project!

We are excited about bees! Integrated with our work in agriculture, entrepreneurship and tree planting,  we have incorporated a beekeeping project. Bee hives in a field can greatly increase crop yields and there is also the benefit of income generating projects with sales of honey and other bee products. The opportunities for farmers in crop yield and honey sales and also for Mamas groups’ in beeswax crafts are significant! Did you know for example, for every 500 TSh a beekeeper earns in honey when offering pollination services to a farmer, the farmer could gain as much as 10,000 TSh in increased crop yield!
Checking the hives at the Kisesa Demonstration Farm
Preparing to hang a hive at a farmers in Kayenze
We have started beekeeper groups through the churches in the villages of Malya and Kayenze. With the help of Julian Willford (Bees Abroad), group members have been trained in the basics of beekeeping and have established apiaries using locally-made top-bar hives. The groups of around 15 meet monthly and work together on their 12 hives. We have also placed three hives at our Demonstration Plot at the Church Planting School in the village of Kisesa.
Top-Bar Hive
Top Bar
Kayenze Beekeepers Group
We are working with a womens group in Malya and also the Albinism Mamas Group in Mwanza, offering training in beeswax and honey crafts. They are able to generate income through the sales of lip balms, candles and honey soap. You can read more about them on the Upendo wa Mama page!

Malya Mamas Group

Making beeswax products

Women also sew these protective overalls out of old flour sacks!

Beeswax Products


Read more about our beekeeping adventures in our stories on the blog!















5 comments:

  1. I love beeswax and would totally buy those candles. Beautiful!

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  2. A bee suit and bee ornaments are wanted fittings that can be additional later. The bee suit is designed with no inaugural to the inner. When ready with a bee suit, a pair of appropriate high top boots, bee gloves, veil and a good hat, a beekeeping is well endangered from bee bites during usual beekeeping processes.

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  3. Hi friends, I am also a beekeeper and experienced beekeeping expert. I would like visit your project and share some skills , also would like learn more from you. Karibu Tabora at Mpinga Honey & Sundries.

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    Replies
    1. Hi, i prefer to get more knowlege and skills from you on beekepping due to the fact at my home place their are a lot of local beekeper and most of them are unskilled, through the knowelge i can obtain, can be helpful to alot of Tanzanian in my home place on how to produce the product which are needed in international market.

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