Empowering teachers, inspiring change

It is a well known fact that teachers are always busy! Planning lessons, delivering classes, setting and marking tests, breaking up arguments amongst pupils, liaising with parents. The list is endless.

Which is why when we started the idea of beekeeping clubs in basic schools in Ghana we realised that the only way for this to work, would be to make it practical and rewarding for the teachers, as well as for the children.

Mem-Chemfre RC School Buzz Club, one of the newly established clubs in Kwahu Afram Plains received beekeeping equipment to start beekeeping

The idea of these clubs and their name ‘Buzz Clubs’ came after Bees for Development Ghana founder, Dr. Kwame Aidoo, visited Buzz Club Stroud, UK and fellow beekeeper, Peter Lead, in 2015. Since that time Bees for Development Ghana has trained 35 teachers to be Buzz Club leaders, helped establish 15 school clubs and enabled nearly 300 young people to learn about bees and beekeeping.

From the outset we encouraged the Buzz Club teachers to do their own beekeeping, so they could develop their own expertise whilst teaching the children, and earn a bit of extra income from honey selling. A teachers’ salary in Ghana is about £150 a month – so being able to supplement this income from beekeeping was attractive. One teacher, Albert Afrifa who leads Nyamebekyere Primary School Buzz Club has no less than 70 bee colonies of his own – a real inspiration for the pupils!

To help the teachers get started Bees for Development Ghana invited them to 4 days of training to learn about bees, beekeeping and pollination. Thereafter staff from BfDG visit from time to time to offer support, encouragement and to check on progress. We realised however that most of the time the teachers are on their own and we wanted to make it as easy as possible for them to plan lessons and activities for the kids, and to have a reference resource at hand. This prompted us to develop the Buzz Club Teachers Handbook which, after many rounds of writing, editing and refining, was printed and disseminated to schools in early 2025.

Bees for Development Ghana demonstrating smoking a hive to Buzz Club teachers

Teachers making a basket hive in a training session

Michael Baah Narh, the teacher from Abotanso Buzz Club recently gave us this feedback, “I find the Buzz Club Teachers’ Handbook to be a valuable resource for our beekeeping club. The handbook provides clear guidance, engaging activities, and essential information on beekeeping and environmental conservation. It has helped me structure our lessons and ensure that our club activities are both educational and enjoyable for the children”.

The Handbook is designed around 30 sessions to be delivered over two years, 15 for year 4 pupils and 15 for year 5 pupils. Sessions are a mix of theory and practical – always with lots of ideas for activities for the children.

Edward William of Donkorkrom E.P Buzz Club said, “The session on establishing and managing an apiary was really good. When we put up our apiary, the children were so excited – this was because almost every question and confusion they had during the theory became clear during the practical. A few of them even later made changes to their parents’ apiaries”.

The Handbook takes the teachers and the pupils through an introduction about how bees live, their importance for people and the environment, how to set up an apiary and all aspects of basic beekeeping.

Michael Baah Narh, Abotanso, said that the lesson on The Value of Bees was one of the most interesting, “Learning about the importance of bees as pollinators has been particularly memorable for our club. The children are fascinated by the role bees play in our ecosystem and the impact of human activities on bee populations. These lessons sparked interesting discussions and encouraged the kids to think critically about environmental conservation”.

It is interesting to note also that the content of the Buzz Club Teachers Handbook fits well with the school curriculum, as further explained by Michael, “Learning about beekeeping and the environment aligns well with our school’s science and environmental education curriculum. It provides a practical and engaging way to teach concepts such as ecosystems, biodiversity, and conservation. The club activities complement the classroom learning and encourage the children to apply their knowledge in real-world contexts”.

One of the exciting aspects of Buzz Club is the way the pupils take their learning home. Most rural families rely on farming for their livelihoods and beekeeping can generate much needed income.

Prosper Akoto from Atakora Basic School explained, “We had a recent report from Amu Christiana. Her father has 5 local style hives but has been struggling to manage them. He does not even know the materials used in baiting hives. Through lesson from club sessions, and what Christiana observed from our apiary set up sessions, she advised her father on what to do”.

All teachers confirmed that pupils enjoy lessons that are full of practical activities including tasks such as setting up the school apiary, clearing, cleaning hives, baiting, hanging of catcher boxes and – wait for it – harvesting honey. But to be honest, I don’t think it’s just the pupils who enjoy harvesting honey!

You can download and read our Buzz Club Teachers’ Handbook by clicking the button below:

You can support our work with young people in Ghana and around the world by making either a one off or a regular donation – just click the button below:

Buzz Club Teachers’ Handbook produced by Bees for Development