Bees are enriching the poor (From Free Press Series)

Bees are enriching the poor

PEOPLE living in a one of the world's poorest countries are earning their own living - with help from a couple of local beekeepers.

They are benefiting from the formation of a beekeeping co-operative in the East African country of Malawi.

The story began in 2001 when Usk couple Sue Bentley and Steven Rogers travelled to Malawi to visit Sue's daughter who was working on a VSO placement in Nkhata Bay on the shores of Lake Malawi.

There, they met John Harawa, a local beekeeper, who wanted to help local villagers sell their honey.

Sue said: "Malawi is amongst the poorest ten countries in the world.

Ninety per cent of the villagers live on what they grow and have no regular income. Honey sales are an important source of income for emergencies such as buying medicine and food during the frequent local crop failures."

But traditional bee-keeping methods are wasteful. On a visit to one of the villages Sue was presented with honey stored in a Coke bottle with a linen stopper.

The pair felt they could help teach villagers modern beekeeping methods and find markets for its sale.

When they returned home, they organised a craft fair which raised over £1000 for the project. They enlisted the help of Bees Abroad, a charity that supports beekeepers in the developing world.

The beekeeping co-operative was formed and quickly became a big success.

When its Malawi Gold honey was displayed at a National Trade Fair in the capital Lilongwe it won first prize. The co-operative was presented with a gold medal by the new president of Malawi.

Last October the couple organised a second craft fair and again raised over £1000 pounds for the co-operative.

Now, to keep the business expanding, Sue and Steve are organising another craft fair to be held at the Memorial Hall Usk on Sunday October 31 between 10am and 3pm. Local crafts will be on sale including pottery, rugs, jewellery, textiles and gifts. Traditional Malawian and African crafts will also be on sale.

If you cannot attend the craft fair but would like to make a donation to the project, send a cheque to: Sue Bentley, Post Cottage, Llangeview, Usk, Monmouthshire, NP15 1NE.