A Hive of Hope: From unemployed graduate to thriving beekeeper.
After years of searching for work with no success, Tangute Misgie thought her future was uncertain. Today, she proudly sells premium honey, earns her own income, and dreams of expanding to 100 hives.
“I never believed beekeeping could change my life,” she says — but it did.
Read how two hives became a hive of hope.
Tangute Misgie participating at the North and Northwest Subnational Hub Annual Learning Summit, Bahir Dar, Blue Nile Resort, November 20, 2025.
My name is Tangute Misgie, a 27-year-old woman from Ada Kebele in Guna Begemdir Woreda, South Gondar. With a big dream of becoming a social anthropologist by profession, I graduated with a degree in Social Anthropology in 2020, full of dreams and expectations. But graduation did not bring the future I imagined. I searched for work. I waited. I hoped. Nothing came. Poor health made it harder to leave home and look for opportunities elsewhere.
I stayed home, supporting my family with their traditional beekeeping, but eventually, I had to stop everything. Life felt stuck.
When I joined the MaYEA Program in 2024, my family had just lost most of their beehives to pesticide exposure and was left with only two. They gifted those two to me because I had already received beekeeping training. Through the program, I was introduced to modern beekeeping—modern hives, constructing transitional hives, colony management, and forage improvement—concepts I had never encountered before. For the first time, I realized that beekeeping was not just a side activity but a profession with a promising future. Honestly, I never believed beekeeping could change my life.
“For the first time, I saw beekeeping as a profession, not just survival.”
Tangut Misgie tends her hives in her backyard, Ada Kebele, January 14, 2026
The knowledge gave me confidence. Confidence gave me courage.
To cut costs, I constructed transitional hives myself. Slowly, patiently, I expanded. What began with two gifted hives grew into eight modern hives and three transitional hives ready for colonies.
In June 2025, during the warm season, I harvested 60 kg of pure honey. In October, another 30 kg. By the end of January 2026, I added 30 kg more.
I learned that the difference between traditional and modern hives is that modern hives produce better honey, both in quality and quantity.”
In November 2025, I brought 26 kg of my honey to Bahir Dar to showcase it at the Annual Learning Summit. Standing there, presenting my own product, was a proud moment.
Tangute Misgie showcasing her work at the North and Northwest Subnational Hub Annual Learning Summit, Bahir Dar, Blue Nile Resort, November 20, 2025.
People valued my honey. The demand was strong—even buyers from Addis Ababa showed interest. Some specifically asked for October-harvested honey from Guna Begemdir, known for its medicinal value. Today, I sell my honey for up to ETB 1,200 per kilogram.
“Now, I earn my own income. I stand on my own feet.”
There was a time I was desperately searching for a job. Today, I hesitate to look for one.
My dream now is to grow my beekeeping, increasing to 100 hives.
When I look back, I see a different woman. A graduate without hope has become a confident modern beekeeper with a growing business and a clear vision.
“My journey proves that with the right support, skills, and determination, even two hives can build a future.”
The MaYEA Program is being implemented nationwide in Ethiopia by ORDA Ethiopia, International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, icipe, and the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction, IIRR, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation.