Train 180 Haitian Women in Beekeeping

Editne Almidor and Mirlande Occilien are two of the women in the Haitian village of Courtis in Petit Goave who are benefiting from the beekeeping training delivered by Prosperity Catalyst. Their training has been enhanced by one of the three new beekeeping demonstration sites started thanks to the support given by donors like you during our GlobalGiving campaign in June 2018. This community was devastated by Hurricane Matthew two years ago, and many of the existing beekeepers lost their hives. Prosperity Catalyst strives to support the local economy by locally sourcing as many inputs for the beekeeping demonstration sites as possible. The new site has ten locally-built hives and includes protective beekeeping suits that were sewn by seamstresses who were trained by Prosperity Catalyst’s artisan strengthening program two years ago. The only equipment that is still imported are specialized beekeeping tools, like the metal smoker used to calm the bees before the hive is opened. We are searching for a talented tinsmith who can make those locally as well.

Mirlande Almidor grew up with her grandfather who was passionate about raising bees. She developed a love for beekeeping but never had the opportunity to experience it. “I was so thrilled when I learned that Prosperity Catalyst was going to give women the opportunity to get involved in beekeeping activities in Petit Goave…” she stated. She went on to explain that beekeeping is like raising children because you get to see them grow and pray that they stay healthy. “I want to encourage more women to get involved in beekeeping because I understand this is an economic activity that can change our lives…”

As of posting, Prosperity Catalyst has trained 120 of the 180 women to be served by this project.  At each of the three demonstration sites, Prosperity Catalyst’s agricultural extensionists are helping the site management committee to set up a plant nursery, which includes seedlings of aromatic plants that will attract and feed the bees and be a source of raw materials to be processed into essential oils. Our hope is that the sale of these aromatic plants will become an additional income stream for the beekeepers.

Concurrently, Prosperity Catalyst is experimenting with a local microfinance partner to develop loan products tailor-made to the needs of beekeepers. These loans will be used by the beekeepers to buy their own hives. So far, 60 women from Leogane, Grand Goave and Petit Goave have already filled out the loan application to launch their own beekeeping activities.

In the meantime, we will continue to train new groups of women in Arcahaie, Pierre Payans, and Cabaret in preparation for potential future loans with Fonkoze. Prosperity Catalyst will continue to support women who are part of the program and encourage new groups of women to join as we expand our network of women beekeepers.