Friday, March 28, 2008

African Women Trained to Produce Apitherapy Products

Malawi: Bee-Keeping Courses Boost Small Businesses
Commonwealth News and Information Service (UK), 3/26/2008

Mbaweme Women's Cooperative Society started as an orphanage to support children suffering from AIDS.

But with support from the Commonwealth Secretariat, the co-operative has also taken up bee-keeping and is ready to start producing candles from beeswax, which will help transform it into a self-sustaining profitable business…

This came about after 30 of its members participated in a one-month course in basic bee-keeping sponsored by the Secretariat. This was later followed by a two-week 'training of trainers' course for ten people and later a two-week course on product diversification…

During the training, it emerged that beeswax dipped candles could be produced and marketed separately as a niche product for the co-operative. All candles the group made during their training were sold easily as they were made from a high quality wax.

The women also made new products such as skin balm, polish and propolis tincture, which helps treat mouth ulcers, gum problems and sore throats...

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