Empowering Women Through Beekeeping: My Journey

“Every hive I build is not just for honey—it’s a step toward independence, dignity, and hope.”

“I started beekeeping with two traditional hives given to me by my father and two modern hives. Even though my father had worked with bees for many years, I didn't know how to manage hives until the MaYEA program reached our woreda properly.” Axumawit Yohaness

Axumawit Yohaness poses at the backyard apiary site, September,19,2025, Neader Woreda, Mahibereselam kebele

My name is Axumawit Yohaness, a 23-year-old beekeeper living in Neader Woreda, part of the Shire Cluster of the MaYEA Program.

Before the war broke out in northern Ethiopia in 2020, I had completed up to grade ten. After recovering from the war’s aftermath, I took a three-month IT course. While continuing my education, I also ran a small business, buying and selling teff and other grains to support myself financially. I am now in grade twelve and practicing beekeeping.

When the MaYEA program arrived in 2024, I was chosen by The Well in Action through the kebele Committee as an existing beekeeper because I already had hives supported by the MoYESH project, which had been halted by the war. Even though my father was involved in beekeeping, I didn’t know much about it. The training I received from The Well in Action covered life skills, business development, beekeeping, poultry, sheep, and goat fattening, as well as women’s protection. I learned how to multiply colonies and also found out that we could report issues by calling 7260, which was a new experience for me.

Axumawit, with the newly added 45-day chick, the traditional hives gifted by her father and the chickens, she made a profit  

After the training, I immediately began managing the two traditional and two modern hives I had received from my father and MoYESH. Since I had learned how to multiply colonies, I split one hive and transferred it into a modern hive. With the 11,000 birr allowance I received from the training, I purchased another colony (costing 7,000 birr) and started working. From two modern hives, I harvested 18 kilos of honey in October 2024. Out of curiosity, I also tried a transitional hive and harvested 6 kilos of honey in June.

The training I attended on a two-day business plan helped me track my income and expenses, and I began recording every transaction. I even prepared both group and individual business plans for 2024–2025. The training I received on sheep and goat fattening and poultry encouraged me to try raising one goat and 50 chickens for both eggs and meat. For the holidays, I sold some of the chickens and was left with 10, each bringing in 1,200–1,300 birr as profit.

I later took a loan of 63,000 birr to expand further and bought 18 sheets for bee shelters. Now I have added two goats and 45 chicks, which are growing well. From just four hives, I have now expanded to 11 (5 modern, 3 transitional, and 3 traditional). The soft skills training helped me explore other opportunities to diversify my income through poultry, goat fattening, and value addition with beeswax and candle production.

I also buy red honey from Adwa and sell it to a tej (honey wine) producer. I then buy the wax back for 100–150 birr. From 3 kilos of beeswax, I can produce half a kilo of wax. This year, I sold 12 kilos of wax for 15,600 birr in our district. I even built my own transitional hive and supported 12 other women in constructing theirs, enabling them to start beekeeping.

Today, my younger siblings help me: my sister looks after the chickens, while my brother tends the goats. I plan to give my brother a hive so he can also learn beekeeping. By sharing responsibilities, I am teaching them skills and building a stronger family business.

Although not all hives produce the same amount of honey, I expect to get an average of 100 kilos of quality honey in October and November.

My next goal is to open a shop where I can sell honey, beeswax, and candles that I produce myself.

I believe other young women in my community will be inspired by the changes they see in my life.

The MaYEA program is implemented by ORDA Ethiopia, icipe, and IIRR in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation.

#MastercardFoundation#icipe#IIRR#The Well in Action