Beekeeping to Conserve Tanzania's Rainforest

Did you know that this project has the potential for farmers to produces more than 50 liters of honey per year and earn as much as $400 annually in additional household income? For one of the world's poorest economies, where one-third of the population lives below the national poverty line, this is HUGE. And what is even more amazing about this project is that not only do local farmers profit from it, but the forests do too because farmers have an additional incentive to conserve the forests where the beehives are kept (we can't resist saying that this win-win situation is the "bee's knees"!). Thank you to generous donors like you, we are on our way to doing great things for Kanga Village's people and its forests.

We've been humbled by the generous support we've received to our two other projects on GlobalGiving and are hoping to take things up a notch with this project and have it fully funded by the end of the summer (we need just an initial $1,500 to launch it). To kick things off, we are excited to let you know that this Wednesday, June 13th is GlobalGiving Bonus Day and all donations to this project will be MATCHED at 50%!* Will you help make this project a reality? Your additional gift of $10 will become $15 and your $50 gift will become $75. Forward this email, post the report on your Facebook page, tweet about it on Twitter - tell your friends why you chose to support this project and ask them to make a gift too. It is amazing what we can accomplish when we all do our small part. 

On behalf of all of us at ARC, THANK YOU for supporting Kanga Village's beekeeping project. 

*Donations will be matched between 12:01am EDT and 11:59pm EDT on June 13th, up to $1,000 per donor. 

Spring has sprung (at least for those of us in the northern hemisphere)! And when we think of spring, we think of flowers; and when we think of flowers, we think of bees. Thank you for your generous donation to this beekeeping project, and for being among the first (of what we hope will be many more to come) donors to get this project off the ground. 

As we noted in our last project update, we'll officially launch this project once the first $1,500 is raised (this will allow us to purchase 15 hives and hold the first training workshop). We are hopeful that this will happen in the next couple of months. In the meantime, we invite you to learn more about our field partner the Tanzania Forest Conservation Group (TFCG) by checking out the latest edition of their journal, aptly named The Arc Journal. It will give you a glimpse at some of the current events surrounding Tanzania's forests - everything from forest justice to the government's role in conserving these forests. You can also read up on TFCG program highlights, including encouraging youth engagement in environmental issues, land use planning, and the REDD pilot project. This GlobalGiving beekeeping project is just one of many community-based projects that contribute to ARC and TFCG's overarching mission to conserve Tanzania's forests.  

If you live in or near NYC, we would love for you to join us at our 21st annual Artists for Africa benefit this April 11th where you can learn even more about our mission to support grassroots community development and conservation projects in Tanzania. More details about this special event for Tanzania, its people and its forests, can be found here. 

Asante Sana! 

Links:

• Artists for Africa Event
• The Arc Journal
• Tanzania Forest Conservation Group (TFCG)