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“I was motivated because of the training I got from Honey Pride on beekeeping. I had attended other leadership trainings where we have been encouraged to embrace income generating projects to supplement the little salary we get from church work. So, after that training from Honey Pride Arua, I decided to take beekeeping as an income project. I was supported and I got 10 beehives on loan which I used to start this project three years ago. And I found it profitable.”
The Life as Beekeeper
Who belongs to your family / who is living with you?
My name is Candiru Perry. I am a church worker. I work as a catechist. I take care of my grandchildren and some orphans of my late sister. So, we are 7 people in my family.
How has beekeeping changed your life?
One of the benefits I have realized from bee keeping is that you will always realize some money from the sales because now the market is better at Honey Pride Arua compared to selling it on our local village market. That helps you support the family with basic necessities. I have paid school fees for my grandchildren out of the proceeds from selling honey and wax. In my area, I also act as an aggregator, I collect honey and wax from the nearby small farmers who find it far to come to Honey Pride Arua.
That means they can avoid the cost of transport. So, when I am not doing church work, I find time to check the hives and do my beekeeping business.
How do you provide a good environment for your bees?
The place where my apiary is located is rich with trees and other vegetation. There are banana plantations nearby and nearby water source. So, I don’t struggle much when it comes to providing food for the bees. However, you must always ensure that the place is fairly clean. The grass in the area grows fast especially during rainy season. But I also ensure the trees near my hives are not cut because they provide shade for the bees.
What do trees mean to you and how can they be protected?
Trees are useful in that they provide shade for the bees. Secondly, during times when the trees are flowering, the bees don’t go far looking for food. It provides them with food source. So the bees work faster. That is why I don’t struggle to look for special food for the bees. I keep watch over the trees, especially where there are hives. When I am not around, there is always someone who keeps watch to ensure that no body cuts down the trees.
Many people want to cut these trees just to burn charcoal, but I don’t allow that in my land.
What is the most important thing in your life?
The most important thing in my life is the fear of God. I also wish to live a better life. I would like to develop myself so that I have better future.
What are your biggest challenges and how do you plan to overcome them?
The biggest challenge in my life is poverty. Overcoming poverty is not easy. We don’t get a big salary from doing church work. That is why it is important to embrace other side income generating projects. Apart from the church work, my plan is scale up my bee keeping enterprise. I think that could help generate money to alleviate this poverty.
What do you like to do in your free time?
When I get free time, I do small business of selling food items in a nearby market. Sometimes people come to buy them from my home. So, that keeps us going. Otherwise there is really no free time because if it is not church work, then you should be doing something to make ends meet
Which place would you like to see once?
If there was an opportunity, I would love to go to either America or Dubai, because I have never travelled and I would love to visit these places…
