Bees for Development Journal 112
WOMEN IN BEEKEEPING – SUCCESS AND PROSPERITY Eleri Griffiths, Llanrwst, Conwy Valley, Wales, UK PHOTOS © ELERI GRIFFITHS
Key words: Cameroon, grassroots organisations, Joan Wakelin Bursary, poverty alleviation, training Eleri Griffiths writes: I attended a beekeeping course run by the Conwy Beekeepers Association in Wales, UK, which is how I came to meet Alan Morley and hear about his involvement with Bees for Development. I met with Alan to talk about his experiences in Cameroon, and came up with a proposal to visit the women beekeepers in the north-west region of the country. Following a period of research and project development, I wrote a proposal. As a result I was awarded the 2013 Joan Wakelin Bursary from the Royal Photographic Society which is run in conjunction with The Guardian News and this is how I was able to fund my travels. I am pleased to share this story through BfD Journal. My priority is to help these women who are in much need of funding and resources to run courses to train more women beekeepers in the region. If BfD is able to offer any support to this group I know that they will benefit enormously. In the town of Bamenda, North West Cameroon, there is a co-operative of women beekeepers established as a club in 1997 by its founder member, Marianna Tanda Fumsi (pictured right). Marianna became interested in beekeeping when she volunteered in a honey shop to gain work experience and then enrolled on a beekeeping course run by Alan Morley, a Bees for Development volunteer. With Alan’s guidance, Marianna gained practical knowledge and soon became an independent beekeeper, establishing colonies on her family’s smallholding in the rural community of Bambui, on the outskirts of Bamenda. Marianna recognised the potential for training women to keep bees as a less laborious means of generating additional income. Through the sale of honey, women are able to provide food and purchase seeds, but most importantly they are able to pay for their children’s education.
Marianna Tanda Fumsi, founder of The Village Women Organisation for Sustainable Development Cameroon Cameroon living below the poverty line, some families find it extremely hard to provide even the most basic needs. With this degree of deprivation children have little or no hope of accessing the education that ultimately makes all the difference to their future development – and that of their families and the wider community.
In Cameroon as with many African countries, children are forbidden to attended school unless they are wearing the correct uniform and proper shoes. School fees are typically FCFA 27,000 (US$56; €41) for each child. With 40% of the population in
Almost 17 years on, the beekeeping club has become a fully
Farming is labour intensive: honey offers an easier approach to income generation for the women of these rural communities
Women from the Bamendankwe Rural Development Group gather to watch a honey harvest. Protective clothing is too expensive for most women so they must watch and learn from a distance 10
