Promoting Education, Health and Enterprise in a Maasai Community
Beekeeping in Namuncha
Utunzaji wa nyuki katika Namuncha
Beekeeping is an old and deep-rooted tradition in Kenya. It is now also a significant part of agriculture and an important part of the sustainable environment.
The Friends of Namuncha are working with the Kenya Beekeepers Association, local beekeepers and the local community, to establish a beekeeping group in Namuncha.
This will support the environment, provide post
secondary employment and income for young people. It will also be an educational resource for the schools.
The Friends will fund a training programme and buy the equipment proposed by the Beekeepers Association necessary to establish the project.
First Honey Harvest.
The Beekeepers of Namuncha have taken their first harvest of honey, a great total of 6kg.
This is going to be reinvested into the project to buy another hive.
Thank you everyone who has been engaged with the project so far.
14/10/2020, The Namuncha Beekeepers Hives have arrived and are on their frames
Mr Kipeen, the fruit farmer, and Mr Alex visited a local bee keeper and have returned with many ideas.
Mr Kipeen has found a site on his farm where he feels the bees will be happy. They will be in among his Oranges, Lemons, Avocados, Mangos and Passion Fruits. Who wouldn’t be happy there.
And here he pick
s a Paw Paw for Mr Alex.
Beekeeping in Maai Mahiu
Today Mr. Alex paid a visit to a beekeeper at Thanju Farm in Maai Mahiu. As you can see this is a honey farm and he is the supplier of the equipment for our project.
The cost of all this will be £500, training, equipment and installation. The donations from the September Searle Street Cake Club have already exceeded that total so we now have breathing room for exchange rate changes and bank charges. In July the club with other donations raised the money to fit chimneys to 20 manyatta kitchens.
If you would like to support this project please click on Beekeeping in Namuncha to go to the Donate page.
Thank you
A big thank you to Annie and Charlie Parrott for their illustrations for the beekeeping project
The hives with the equipment has been bought and before it is delivered, the team are getting used to the kit, All dressed up and ready for action. All those cakes made and delivered in September are now translated into the Namuncha Beekeeping Team.
11/11/20
The new colony of bees arrive in their transport box before settling into their new home. This box is also a bee catcher box that will be used to capture a new colony when the current one is transferred.
Time to put on the suits, find the brush and hive tool.
26/11/20
The first colony of bees has been transferred into their Namuncha hive.
Welcome to your new home.
18/1/21
And now they are really hard at work, all the hives are now occupied by bees. Honey is on the way
Namuncha Bees come to School
Around the bee networks the word is out, “Namuncha id the place to be and the school is the place in that place”.
So here they are busy making their own honeycomb and filling it with honey. Like the birds out side biology is their favourite subject.
Over on the fruit farm all five hives are thriving and will soon be inspected by the local expert to see when the first harvest can be made.