Over the past year we have been working on a bee project. This involves helping the villagers to keep and harvest the products from the bees. David and Margery Blower are the managers of the Bees Abroad project.
They went to Uyogo in February 2015 to do a feasibility study for a bee project in the village. We are glad to report that the project is going to go ahead and we are currently working on funding for the project. If you would like to help with this project then visit our Support Us page to donate.
Below is a link to the report that David and Margery Blower wrote up about their visit in February 2015.
In November 2017, David and Margery Blower visited Uyogo again to see for themselves the progress that has taken place since 2015.
UBEA Hive
David and Margery were delighted to be given a container of locally produced honey from the village. Most of this honey was sold to raise funds for KUFL but a jar was held back, to be entered in a new class at this year’s National Honey Show.
The honey was one of twelve entries in a class specifically for honey produced from projects such as that in Uyogo. We are pleased to report that the jar of honey was placed 4th and rated as Very Highly Commended.
Read David and Margery’s 2017 report on the Uyogo bee project here:
Update February 2019:
Bee-keeper’s Machine Room
KUFL have sent various beehive-making tools, such as a circular saw and a combination woodworking machine, via Tools With a Mission (TWAM), so Uyogo villagers can make their own top bar hives instead of using traditional tree-bark hives which kill off the trees. Bees Abroad have sourced bee suits locally, for protection. Innocent Mkasu, the liaison person / village trainer for this bee project, has completed his beekeeping course at college in Tabora and another young aspiring beekeeper from the Uyogo community, Johannes, is currently studying beekeeping at the same college, generously sponsored by Bees Abroad. A building to house the equipment necessary to produce quality honey in the desired quantities has been identified in Uyogo.
Update July 2020:
The Bee-keeping project now has two separate small buildings: one a room where machinery is kept for making hives, and another room for honey-processing. Electricity from the national grid has recently reached Uyogo and the machine room is connected. The machines are up and running, being used under supervision of the Village Chairman who is a trained carpenter and also an experienced bee-keeper. A sewing machine has recently reached Uyogo’s bee-keepers, also via TWAM, with which they can make their own bee-keeping suits. There are plans to make hives and bee-suits to sell to other bee-keepers outside the village too, to generate income.
