Honey Farming Empowering Women

Posted by Editor on Jan 28th, 2010 | 0 comments home title

Honey Bee Farming Project – “Plan Bee” – was an initiative by the Hashoo Foundation to empower women in the rural Northern Areas of Pakistan by expanding employment opportunities and generating a stable source of income through the production and sale of high-quality honey.

The unique flora of the region makes for a superior honey that commands a premium price. The hard part is getting the honey to market. That’s where the Hashoo Foundation comes in. It takes the women’s honey, processes and packages it, and sells it in the high-end shops and hotels of Pakistan’s capital Islamabad.

In the span of just two years, this initiative has trained and engaged 312 women in honeybee production and benefiting 1200 dependants. Importantly, as a result household income increased by more than 30%.

The video below provides more information of the transformation, which was enabled by giving the women beekeepers micro-credit. Due to the success of this project, this social enterprise model or technique, is planned to be replicated across Pakistan.

Kingdom Inroads offers you a unique opportunity to volunteer with a Singapore based organization which serves communities in the region and in Singapore.