The Hoima project is a cluster of communities in Western Uganda where Bees Abroad provided beekeeping training between 2012 and 2016.

A decade on, 80% of the communities revisited are still successfully engaged in beekeeping and have integrated it into their livelihoods.

The project focused primarily on women's groups

80%

Of the assessed ten projects trained a decade ago (2012-2016), eight are still successfully engaged in beekeeping.

On average across the projects, beekeepers receive roughly the equivalent of an extra month’s salary per year from honey sales.

Images from the Bees Abroad Annual Review 2024-25. Read the report here.

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Kyakiiza women: doubling honey money through mushroom cultivation

Date of visit: 15th July 2025
Original number of women trained: 11
Current number of women beekeepers: 7

The Kyakiiza Women’s Group was formed in 2012, when 11 women came together with the aim of improving their socio-economic status through beekeeping. At the time, only three had beehives, all of which were traditional hives. With training and Kenya Top Bar (KTB) hives, each woman established her own apiary close to home.

Each member now harvests approximately 30–35kg of honey per year (one member with six hives produces around 42kg), generating between UGX 200,000–250,000 annually from honey sales (£42-52).

When their original hives could no longer be maintained, the group’s visible commitment attracted further support from World Vision, who provided replacement hives after being impressed to see women thriving in what is often perceived as a male-dominated activity.

Double your money

Members have gone on to multiply the impact of their honey income:

• Sarah Kayonza invested UGX 200,000 from honey sales into mushroom cultivation – a business that now doubles her original beekeeping revenue.

Mushroom cultivation funded through honey money

• Immaculate and Mbabazi used their honey income to establish a small piggery. With one sow producing two litters of at least eight piglets each year, and piglets selling for UGX 50,000–70,000, the enterprise generates approximately UGX 1,000,000 annually.

“Money from this small pig business has helped us a lot to improve our well-being.”

It all started with beekeeping.

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Hoima report: about the assessor

Dr Samuel Kaheesi Kusiima was a key part of the Hoima cluster project and long-term assessment. He was a director of the Bigasa Sustainable Development Foundation (BISUDEF) when the BISUDEF Women’s Beekeeping Project was launched in Hoima District in 2012 with support from Bees Abroad.

In 2024, Bees Abroad commissioned Samuel to conduct a comprehensive post-project assessment, revisiting all ten original groups.

Alongside this work, Samuel completed his PhD at Makerere University. His thesis, Implications of land use and land cover change on ecosystem services and human well-being in the Budongo–Bugoma landscape, reflects his wider commitment to environmental sustainability and community well-being.

(With thanks to Stuart Andrews, Bees Abroad Partnership Manager, for supporting the Hoima cluster project and long-term assessment alongside Samuel)

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This article is presented as part of the Remember a Charity Week 2026. Ten years on, the Hoima cluster demonstrates what long-term impact from an intentional action today should look like: skills embedded locally, income streams diversified and money reinvested.

Bees Abroad are a member of Remember a Charity, supporting individuals and families include gifts in their wills for charities across the UK. A gift that can leave. a legacy of long lasting impact.