MAKING A BUZZ
Care-Co - Rodrigues/MAURITIUS
Hives for the Handicapped is a project started in the early 1990s by a charity called Care-Co. The project trains disabled people in the science of beekeeping and helps to set them up with hives. A small non-profit making company then assists the beekeepers to process and market their product.
Apiculture experts from the UK pay occasional visits to provide advice and ensure that standards are being upheld. The honey has won recognition around the world, including a Silver Medal at the International Honey Show in London. It is sold at a premium price at two shops in Rodrigues and in several Mauritius hotels. It is also served on the breakfast trays of Air Mauritius, the national airline.
The income from these honey sales - and from associated products such as beeswax candles - provides a good living for the project's 15 disabled beekeepers. With high unemployment rate on the island, they would otherwise have few - if any - employment options. Care-Co hopes the project can be replicated for the benefit of physically disabled people throughout East Africa.
