Support Sustainable Livelihoods in Rural Guatemala

Our beekeeping project has seen a successful few months! Since the beginning of the dry season in November, our Aj Tikonel Kab beekeepers have been able to harvest multiple rounds of honey. The harvest is finishing up this month just as the rainy season approaches, and their honey can be found all around town and around the lake!

This year also marks the end of formal training for our Aj Tikonel Kab beekeepers, as they transition to an autonomous group. They have completed the entire training cycle, and from this point forward Pueblo a Pueblo will provide only supplemental support. Project Manager Ana Cabrera explained that the next step for Pueblo a Pueblo’s relationship with Aj Tikonel Kab is “determining what support they need and how we can best provide the support they need to become independent and thrive.”

Our partnership with the women beekeepers at La Cooperativa Crédito Esquipulas in Huehuetenango has also been progressing well.  The women are acquiring more and more beekeeping skills. So far they have completed four practical trainings, with the most recent training in January. This training session reviewed the lessons the women learned in the fall.  We helped them check on the health of the hives to evaluate what they had been doing well and what could be improved. Additionally, they learned how to prepare for different weather conditions and laid the groundwork for their first harvest. The next session in two weeks will cover all the necessary skills for harvesting and processing the honey for sale.

Ana reports that the women are “more confident in their work with the bees and their hives. They are excited about getting their first harvest at the end of April!”