In the hills around Kasese, in western Uganda, beekeeping is taking root. One of the groups working with Bees Abroad's local partner, LIDEFO, is the Rwenzori Tuyihimbe Agro and Eco-Tourism Association, set up in 2021 by Bwambale Matiah and nine others who wanted to build a better living together. Today the association has around 35 members, 22 of whom keep bees.

In February, Partnership Manager Mark Wilcox travelled out with his wife Susan to meet them. After landing in Uganda, they faced a seven-hour drive over bumpy roads to reach Kasese, where LIDEFO's Daniel introduced them to the local culture and to the groups he works alongside.

Over ten days, a rhythm emerged. "We would meet under a tree with a formal agenda, and often a printed report given by their leader, sometimes with a welcome song and dance," Mark recalls. He would talk about the work of Bees Abroad, the group would put their questions, and then everyone would walk out to the apiary, before a lunch of freshly picked fruit.

What he found was a group well on its way. The association runs two apiaries, at Kyalanga and Muhyokya, holding 38 hives between them, with more colonies moving in. Four members have earned beekeeping certificates and now train the others, so the skills stay in the community and keep spreading. Alongside the bees, members run a weekly savings and credit scheme, pooling their own money and lending to one another at low interest. Honey income and savings work together to steady a household through the year.

What struck Mark most was the energy. Every group was eager to learn and visibly proud of the apiaries they had built. They talked about what beekeeping could fund: medicines, school fees, and the small loans that keep money moving within the community.

There is something less tangible too. "Culturally, the Ugandan people value friendship and contacts very highly," Mark notes. Turning up in person, sharing a meal, sitting through the welcome and the questions, all of it builds a relationship that no email can.

The conditions are on their side. Much of Uganda suits beekeeping well, and demand for honey across the country runs ahead of supply, so there is a ready market for what these apiaries produce. The association is already looking further ahead, working to grow both apiaries and secure land of its own rather than renting.

Kasese sits at the foot of the Rwenzori Mountains, at the lower end of the Rift Valley. It is a beautiful, fertile region, and the beekeepers here are making the most of it.

You can help more groups like this one get started. Every new hive is a step towards income, independence, and a future these communities are building for themselves.

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