Fera Gossa is different from HOPE's other projects. Rather than covering the full range of our usual work, this project focuses on one component, beekeeping.
It sits alongside HOPE's wider water, sanitation, livelihoods and environmental protection project in Fera Gossa, in the Gofa zone of southern Ethiopia, a community with a large number of landless households in need of extra support to build sustainable incomes.
Beekeeping offers exactly that. It gives families with little or no land a practical way to earn a living, while also supporting healthy agricultural and natural landscapes.
What the project provides:
The project provides for beehives, equipment and training for 75 low income households, giving them the skills and tools to produce and sell honey and other bee related products. For families in the greatest economic need, this is a genuine route out of poverty, built on a skill they can sustain for years to come.
Alongside the beekeeping, the wider project is also improving sanitation and hygiene, increasing income through women's self help groups, boosting agricultural productivity and strengthening the community's resilience to climate change.
Progress in the first six months:
The project has made strong headway. 70 households have completed the first phase of beekeeping training and received hives and equipment, while 38 have completed the second phase, meeting the target exactly. Members have already purchased 30 bee colonies and moved them into modern hive frames, well ahead of the six month target of five.
Five beekeepers' associations have also formed and gained legal recognition as a cooperative, again far exceeding the original target of one. In total, 51 households are now applying modern beekeeping practices in their daily lives, just above target.
Looking ahead to the next six months:
The project aims for every participating household to double their income and report greater financial stability, while ending their reliance on day labour away from home. Together, households are expected to produce and sell 3,750 kg of honey and bee related products. All participants will also receive training in marketing, sourcing bee colonies and sustainable beekeeping practices, and will take part in environmental conservation activities.
Thank you for partnering with HOPE to help the families of Fera Gossa build a sustainable future through beekeeping.
