There is great news from Tanzania: together we have launched a new initiative that is being supported by the Schmitz Foundations.

Women are trained as beekeepers and also receive training on how to successfully run a small business. It is carried out in cooperation with existing partnerships from St. Walburg’s Hospital .

The idea behind it is actually simple: single women and mothers in particular should be given the opportunity to earn their own money, care for their children on their own and thus gain independence. After the loss of a partner, through death or separation, widows are usually destitute and a struggle against a downward spiral and poverty begins. This vicious circle is now to be broken by providing them with an adequate and meaningful education as part of this project.

To this end, the participants undergo training to become beekeepers under the guidance of specialist staff. On completion, the young beekeepers are given beekeeping equipment to produce their own honey. With the help of further training, which teaches them how to run a small business, they can then market their own products. The trainees can ask for further advice at any time.

This program also has two other positive aspects: firstly, a very high-quality honey is produced in this area, which is also used to heal wounds in the hospital, and secondly, it helps to preserve biodiversity, as some of the plant species pollinated by bees are now rare.

Our project manager Benedikt Lenz is currently in Tanzania to experience the first events as part of this initiative and to get an impression of it.

We look forward to reporting to you on the further progress of the initiative.