Youth learn the power of honey bees
Blog by William Van Blyderveen
Posted: 7 June 2024
Students at the Mbale Secondary and Vocational School for the Deaf in Uganda have been learning the importance of honey bees and gaining the skills needed to join the beekeeping industry.
Supporting youth with a disability is vital in Uganda.
Earlier this year, the school apiary was set up and 128 students have been learning about honey bees and beekeeping. Carpentry students were trained to make top-bar bee hives and tailoring students to make bee suits.
There is a demand for beekeeping supplies – protective equipment, bee hives, and smokers in Uganda. Training youth to make equipment will allow them to reach this market and provide a competitive advantage. In addition, they can set themselves up with all they need to start their own beekeeping enterprise.
Tailoring students learning how to make beesuits.
Students making a fixed comb bee hive for the training apiary. These bee hives use locally available resources and are low – cost.
One student mentioned the importance of these new skills:
“This equipment is not common compared to other skills we learn as part of the syllabus. Everywhere carpenters, tailors and welders compete because everyone is making the same things which makes business not profitable. With these new skills we shall make good money.”
The new skills are paying off. The students recently received an order to make 20 top-bar bee hives. Several students and teachers have also established home apiaries and are beginning their beekeeping journey.
This programme is transformative for these young people as youth often lack access to land and employment opportunities – further compounded by a disability. Often people with a disability are not given employment and do not inherit family land due to stigma about their disability.
The Uganda National Apiculture Development Organisation (TUNADO), in partnership with Bees for Development, provided the practical training and connection to markets. TUNADO trained the teachers and established a school apiary to ensure long-term sustainability. A beekeeping curriculum is being developed, so training will continue after TUNADO steps back.
