BEEKEEPERS GRADUATE INTO A COOPERATIVE

MANGOCHI HONEY WITH HEART BEEKEEPERS GRADUATE INTO A COOPERATIVE

Beekeepers around Mangochi Forest Reserve which is under African Parks continue to grow for the betterment of their lives. Different Beekeeping clubs under the mentorship of Honey with Heart came together to form an association that has now graduated into a cooperative. A total of 30 Beekeepers who represented the clubs, underwent 2 phases of training as a policy requirement of the Ministry of Trade for them to qualify as a Cooperative. They underwent the first training in May 2025 and the second and final one in September 2025.

Figure 1 The Beekeepers posed for a photo during the training that was held at the Namwera Honey House.
Figure 2 Women Beekeepers led in the dancing as the group finally graduated into a fully-fledged Cooperative.

As this story was being compiled the Cooperative which has since been christened “Chilengedwe Honey Cooperative Ltd” has been approved by the Ministry of Trade and the Government of Malawi. As a matter of interest, the name “Chilengedwe” is a Chichewa word that literally means “nature”. The government of Malawi through the Ministry of Trade has promised to grant a certificate to Chilengedwe Cooperative within 30 days from the day of application.

Why form a Cooperative; This has been the question which some of the members of the Cooperative had been asking before they attended the trainings. Some thought this would only be a waste of money through buying shares, while others thought this may be outright waste of time. However, with the training they received, all the doubts were parried away.

It also happened that those who were doubting were the ones who were in the forefront wooing other members to join the Cooperative. And the major factor that convinced members to join the cooperative was to grow economically as a group other than individually. They also learnt that overdependence to organisations would reduce as the cooperative would strive to make money through Beekeeping with the already available resources. The Cooperative would be able to increase Beekeeping Equipment and honey production which would be sold to Honey with Heart.

Figure 3 Felix Ndege, an Official from the Ministry of Trade Headquarters in Lilongwe led in the facilitation of the training.
Figure 4 Another Trade Officer from the Ministry of Trade, Janet Mtengezo was the key facilitator of the training.

Mr Brighton Mussa is the chairperson of the Cooperative and said this when asked after the final training, “we have just concluded the final training, we will now wait for the certificate within the next 30 days. We are very excited that we are now a fully-fledged Cooperative”.

Rabecca Chiwanda, Vice Secretary of the Cooperative was also on cloud 9 after finishing the trainings. “We have been hearing about a Cooperative, but now we a Cooperative ourselves. We thank Honey with Heart and its Coordinator for facilitating this whole process”. Said Rabecca. “Honey with Heart has been on our side all these 6 years and continue to do so. We are very grateful to Honey with Heart and African Parks’’, concluded Rabecca Chiwanda.