When Mbae Leon, Kiunga’s lead project officer, learned that the government was supporting community-based groups with beehives, he immediately recognized an opportunity. Each month, Kiunga brings government experts to support groups to educate and train the group members on a wide range of topics from health and agriculture to finance and… beekeeping!
Leon arranged for Government of Kenya officers to visit Tumaini Support Group to explain how beekeeping could be leveraged as a source of livelihood and to equip the group members with the skills necessary to keep bees and harvest honey!
Soon, Stephen Epungon, a father of four and a member of the Tumaini Support Group, had a new passion. The group acquired 15 beehives that Stephen now takes care of, ensuring they have everything they need to reach maximum productivity.
The results have been amazing!
Stephen describes the harvest from a single month, saying, “We harvested 30 kilograms of honey from the beehives we received from the government. We sold the honey at 1,000 shillings (approx. $8) per kilogram and the money was used to pay school fees for our children.”
“We used to rely on selling livestock and jewelry ornaments. However, livestock trade was affected by COVID-19 and there are no customers to buy the bead products. Now we are relying on honey to give us income,” he said.
Stephen says he and his group are grateful to Kiunga “for being our eyes and linking us to opportunities.”