Hope’s visit from Uganda

Hope arrived in Wales on a rainy day and brightened up our office with stories of sunny Uganda and her beautiful family.

She inspired us with updates from her vital work with persons with disabilities, women and youth and educated us on disability inclusion in the workplace and beyond.

Hope on her visit to Monmouth

Hope had a busy few weeks with research trips to the BBKA Spring Convention, Honey Bee Beautiful to learn to make her own honey and beeswax cosmetics, Rowse Honey to see a honey packing plant, Wainwrights Bee Farm for some practical beekeeping and EH Thorne Bee Hives to name just a few.

We asked Hope a few questions about her time here and how what she experienced would influence her work back in Uganda:

Gaining some practical beekeeping experience in Somerset

Hope giving us workshops on disability inclusion

Learning to make cosmetics with beeswax

Tell us an inspiring example from your work in Uganda about how beekeeping is helping people or nature?

Beekeeping in Uganda and elsewhere in Africa has traditionally been done by “able” men, this is because all beekeepers sited beehives high up on tree branches, in the bush and harvesting being done in the night without protective gear. These practices made it difficult for certain categories like women and persons with disability to join the sector. However, studies we conducted enabled us to identify these barriers and best practices on addressing the gaps. The groups have adopted alternative and inclusive approaches to beekeeping, conservation and growing of trees in order to provide habitat for the bees and contribute to the reduction of the impacts of global warming.

What part of your Fellowship have you found most useful and relevant to your work in Uganda and why?

The campaign and work on nature-based beekeeping. The different events and trainings I attended provide evidence that bees require a natural habitat and minimum or no interference for maximum productivity which benefits the entire ecosystem. We use cost free local style beehives in Uganda because they are suitable for resource poor communities we work with, it has little or no capital requirements and is environmentally friendly. There is however need to sensitize the communities against the common narrative that we need sophisticated equipment for high productivity. I hope to work with my colleagues to promote the campaign Bees for Development is carrying out to encourage nature-based practices.

How will being on this programme in the UK most affect your work in Uganda?

Most of our beekeeping training content in Uganda is focused on economic benefits, we would like to strengthen the community understanding of the contribution bees make in pollination and the ecosystem. I have also acquired hands-on skills in value addition to beeswax through making cosmetics and soaps, I will share this knowledge with colleagues to improve quality of products and diversify incomes for the farmers.

You can support Hope’s work in Uganda by making a donation here.