Diversifying Local Business
Our Rifty Economic Advancement Program (REAP) is always busy creating opportunities for deserving entrepreneurs, and the first few months of 2020 have been no exception. In February, we welcomed 40 new REAP members, providing them with loans to start and expand their local businesses. Our Rift Valley Women’s Group (RVWG) also grew to 30 women strong, all crafting beautiful new products. We are particularly excited to share that our beekeeping initiative is preparing for its first ever honey harvest!
Back in 2018, we formed a beekeeping team comprised of 13 female and 17 male REAP members that trained with us in the art of sustainable honey harvesting. Maintaining beehives is no simple task. Our 30 keepers learned how to clean, bait and colonize hives as well as practiced making honey filtering systems and harvesting beeswax for candles and creams.
It has now been almost a year since we purchased 15 beehives, which are spread across the neighboring Kiran, Oldeani and Meali wards. While it often takes a year or longer to harvest honey, using honey from a third party, our keepers have been busy perfecting our first beekeeping product: healing skin cream. In giant metal pots, the Mamas combine beeswax, lavender, eucalyptus and coconut oils with fresh aloe vera and menthol over a fire. The output: a thick, golden cream that has numerous healing properties: anti- septic, anti-oxidant, anti- inflammatory, moisturizing, pain-relieving and muscle-easing. Sold by a few lodges and out of our RVWG duka, the cream is bringing our female keepers an additional source of income!
Beekeeping not only provides our members with products to sell like healing cream and honey, but also plays an important role in protecting community farms. With agriculture driving our local economy, bees play a significant role in pollinating the many crops grown by our community members, helping to secure their investments and strengthen their livelihood.
From valuable by-products and healthy crops, to endowing our community members with new skillsets, our beekeeping initiative is a fruitful one-time, self-sustaining investment that will provide community members with new opportunities for years to come!