This gift in action
For Wubalem Shiferaw and her family, having no land to farm meant that it was always hard to make ends meet. She, her husband and young daughter have lived off just one small meal a day for a number of years.
But the arrival of Oxfam hives, equipment and beekeeping knowhow has changed everything.
Harvesting honey has traditionally supplemented the income of small farmers in the Ethiopian region of Amhara. However, the use of traditional, low-yielding hives, means farmers have not been able to reap proper reward for their labour.
The old-style bee hives up in the trees, meant bees did not produce large amounts, so the yield people got per beehive was too small. But with the modern hives and techniques, bees are helped to produce more honey and wax.
“The yield we used to get per beehive was only five to eight kilos a year. Using the modern technique we get ten to 15 and sometimes even 20 kilos.”
In addition to helping to train budding beekeepers, Wubalem is a member of the Mecha village Co-operative. This brings together local women beekeepers allowing them to share insights and to begin building a credit union, which is hoped will emulate the success of another local honey marketing organisation which is selling its products across Ethiopia and internationally.