News

Bangladesh

Proshika: glimpse

Proshika was established in 1976, and is one of the largest private voluntary development organisations in Bangladesh. The beekeeping programme commenced in [984 with the goal of providing income and employment for people in rural areas.

Proshika objectives

- To generate income and employment opportunities;

- To develop suitable and appropriate technology for colony production and multiplication;

- To increase the production and quality of honey and other bee products;

- To use honeybees for pollination of crops to increase yield;

- To establish apiculture nurseries and model apiaries for expansion of the programme.

Areas of activity

Training: Proshika has trained over 2700 people in beekeeping techniques including disease and pest identification, colony management, and honey and wax extraction and processing;

Technical assistance: after training is completed Proshika offers follow-up monitoring and extension services providing bees, hives and equipment, and offering solutions to problems that arise;

Credit support: beneficiaries are provided with loan from revolving fund. The average size of loan is US$ 150;

Demonstration: through village-based activities Proshika offers demonstrations of beekeeping, honey flow management and dearth period management.

Md Abdul Alim Bhuiyan, Senior Programme Co-ordinator, Apiculture Programme

Ethiopia

Promotion of indigenous trees

The Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History Society, in collaboration with the Akaki Red Cross Branch planted 3000 seedlings of indigenous trees: Hagenia abyssincia, Juniperus procera, Olea africana and Podocarpus gracilior. The Society also distributed 21,720 seedlings to the Ethiopia Heritage Trust for the 1998 planting season. Similarly 30,136 seedlings were planted by seven rural associations, five schools and six churches in Debre Birhan.

One of the Society’s aims is to promote indigenous trees for they support great variety of plant, animal, bird and insect (of course including bees) life which greatly help in the conservation of biodiversity. Indigenous tree species are more beneficial to the soil and more efficient at conserving water than exotic tree species.

Source: Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History Society Newsletter, July-September 1998

Haiti

Varroa arrived

The Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development was informed by peasants from the North- East Province of the country about the extinction of some apiaries. team from the Ministry was sent to investigate the situation and collect samples. In the laboratory, the Varroa mite has been identified.

In early March we will organise meetings for beekeepers in 133 communities, with an average of 15 beekeepers per community. The subjects in these meetings will be beekeeping and Varroa pathology.

Ing Agr Phanord Siméon

Swaziland

The Swazi National Beekeepers’ Association is collaborating with the Government in operating training centre for agricultural extension officers and farmers who are interested in becoming beekeepers and producing honey to supplement their incomes.

Source: Near East Foundation

Kenya

MrJoseph Ogega displays the bee products of the Kiamokaama Beekeeping Project’s Harvesting Day in August 1998. What wonderful sight!

Mr Ogega is qualified welder and expert maker of hive tools, smokers and bee brushes. Kiamokaama Beekeeping Project has been in the self-help business for 20 years. The group currently needs assistance in purchasing new machines and transport

If you can help please contact Mr Ogega clo Bees for Development.

Tanzania

Honey creams

Fatma Ntare has been skilled in making cosmetics and beauty creams since she was 15 years old. Following the sudden death of her husband she began to draw on these skills to support herself and two children.

Her traditional cream prepared from honey, avocado, ghee and various flowers is best seller. “My customers are my neighbours and friends who really know how good my creams are. Using the cream three times day for two weeks restores damaged skin to its normal condition. An excellent treatment for skin damaged by ‘Mkorogo’, the cream is also ideal for treating pimples”, says Fatma.

The honey, flowers and ghee (Samii) are boiled together with dried avocado. “Avocado needs drying out first, otherwise it spoils if mixed when it is wet”, reveals Fatma. “I have small, oven-like machine which use for drying some of the ingredients. This in itself keeps me very busy. The ghee comes from boiled fresh milk. let the milk coagulate into yoghurt out of which get pure ghee”, she says.

The entire process requires care and patience, and takes long time. When all four ingredients are ready and mixed together the cream is ready for use.

A 300 jar of Fatma’s special cream sells for 5000TSH (US$5).

Source: Business Times, November 1998 sent to B&D by Christopher Mkilanya

Explanation please!

Mkorogo? We asked Mr Liana Hassan, Director of Njiro Wildlife Research Centre, Tanzania to explain what this is:

“Mkorogo is the Swahili name for a locally-made face cream which ladies use to soften their skin. Mkorogo is normally made and used at home, and washed away before leaving the homestead.

I have once seen typical Mkorogo of which the ingredients included an egg, avocado, bleaching solution, spices, detergent and others which fail to describe. There are highly corrosive Mkorogo recipes concocted from other ingredients. Many young ladies have damaged their skin, especially their faces because of Mkorogo. Doctors have warned people through the radio and newspapers about the dangers of Mkorogo but people are still using the concoctions. You will be surprised to see someone who was dark skinned and now is light skinned. It is all about “BEAUTY” for reasons felt by the users”.