SUCCESS STORY 6

Full certification HWH Liwonde. HWH LIWONDE ATTAINS MBS FULL CERTIFICATION. It was joy for HwH/AP staff in Liwonde on 27 th September, 2024 when HwH qualified for the award of the MBS Certificate for its Choice Grace Pure Uchi Honey. The struggle started in the year 2020 when HwH started processing its honey for it to make it into the Malawi Market. As a precondition, HwH registered with the Malawi Bureau of Standards so that they can assess our Namwera Honey Facility as well as our honey. Figure 1 The HwH Project Officer receiving the MBS Full Certificate from the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Trade and Industry on behalf of Honey with Heart. For the past 5 years, MBS has been monitoring our honey through quarterly Audit Inspections. In 2021, MBS granted us a Pre-Permit Certificate that enabled us sell our honey as they continue to assess us for the full certificate. Our honey penetrated the Malawi Market while on the other hand, fighting to get the full Certificate. 3 years after the Pre-Permit Certificate, after scoring highly in the subsequent Audit Inspections, our honey qualified for the award of a full Certificate. What this means now is that HwH Liwonde Honey can be sold anywhere in the country and even beyond. As HwH, we will still work tirelessly to maintain this Certificate for so many years to come. Asked to comment on the success, Henry Kapito the Hive Technician, who also doubles as a medically qualified Food Handler at HwH Liwonde had this to say: ‘’I am very excited that after struggling for a whooping 4 years, we finally got the Certificate. This means our hard work as HwH Project has born fruits’’, said Henry. ‘’I thank the Project Coordinator and Park Management for providing guidance and support for us to achieve this’’, concluded Henry.  

HONEY WITH HEARTS BEES FOR DEVELOPMENT

STORIES FROM IDES KAYESA AND BELITA MAKHUWIRA Ides Kayesa, a talented female beekeeper from Ching’amba, Ntchisi district. “I started beekeeping in 2019 with only three Langstroth beehives, beekeeping has been a game changer for me and my community.” I managed to save MWK90,000 (USD50) from honey sales and bought 20kg of soya beans seed and one bag of fertiliser. My vision is to increase honey production by adding more beehives and build a better house for my family. My name is Belita Makhuwira from Chilooko, Ntchisi district, the coming of African Parks with beekeeping support is a blessing to my family and entire community. I started beekeeping enterprise in 2019, and started saving money to village bank in 2023 MWK 12,600 (USD7). After earning interests I bought a kid goat at MWK27,000 (USD15). I continued saving from beekeeping enterprise and now I have MWK100,800 (USD56) in my village bank. My dream is to build good house by increasing my production with more hives. Thank you, African Parks, for your support. https://honeywithheart.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/belita_makhuwira_explaining_her_story-720p.mp4

SUCCESS STORY 7

MBS training HWH Liwonde. HWH LIWONDE FACILITATES MBS TRAINING FOR ITS LEAD BEEKEEPERS. In a bid to strengthen our grip on the full certification HwH Liwonde got from Malawi Bureau of Standards, HwH organized a Training in Food Quality and Personal Hygiene. A total of 40 Beekeepers were targeted for this course. The MBS Officials facilitated the training. This training took place from 24 th to 25 th October, 2024. The 40 Top Lead Beekeepers turnedup at the Liwonde National Park Environmental Education Centre where the training took place. 2 Officials from the MBS, Mrs Gertrude Boti Phiri and Mr Samson Mpaso facilitated the training. It was a wonderful experience for the Beekeepers who were attending such type of training for the first time in their lives, thanks to Honey with Heart. Figure 1 Participants posed for a group photo after concluding the training at Liwonde National Park. The Beekeepers, apart from enjoying the content of the training, also enjoyed the quality food and accommodation, that was sponsored by Honey with Heart. Gender wise, 23 men and 17 women attended the training. When asked to comment on the experience after the training, Joyce Saizi, a woman Lead Beekeeper from Nombo Village in Mangochi District was very excited and had this to say: ‘’I am on cloud nine because of this training. Food Hygiene is paramount as highlighted duringthis training. I have learned a lot of issues and my handling of honey will completely improve for the better, including my own household food’’, she said. ‘’Apart from the training, I thank HwH for organizing this training, and also for the hospitality they have showed us here by giving us quality food as well as quality accommodation’’, concluded Joyce. Mr Ajibu Nambweni, another Lead Beekeeper from Chisawa Village in Balaka District was equally excited with the training and had this to say in a brief interview, ‘’I am very excited. We thank HwH for funding this training. MBS is a very reputable organization in Malawi, getting this type of training from them is not a mean achievement. I feel great’’, concludedMr Nambweni, himself a seasoned Beekeeper courtesy of Honey with Heart.

LIFE TRANSFORMATION BY BEEKEEPING

BEES AND BEYOND: HOW LOVENESS GUNDE TRANSFORMED HER LIFE THROUGH BEEKEEPING In Mphoyo Village, Group village Ching’amba, Kasungu District, Loveness Samale Gunde (44 years) lives near Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve. Her journey is one of resilience and transformation. A mother of five, including three teenagers in secondary school, Loveness took up beekeeping with African Parks Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve in 2019—a decision that changed her life. Loveness is a member of a beekeeping club with nine other members in her area. Together, they manage 30 beehives, carefully tending to them, harvesting honey, and sharing the proceeds. In a good year, their club produces 180kg of honey, earning Loveness around MK40,000 ($23) per harvest. However, last year’s extreme heat affected honey production, reducing their harvest. Instead of giving up, Loveness saw an opportunity. Using her savings from honey sales, she invested in piggery, purchasing eight pigs to diversify her income. By the end of the year, she sold two pigs for MK175,000 ($100), which helped her pay her children’s school fees and buy maize for her family during the lean season. Now, her pigs are valued at MK110,000 ($63) each, meaning she could earn over MK1 million ($574) if she sold them all. Loveness dreams of expanding further. “In the next few years, I want to own 15 beehives of my own, renovate my house, and grow my livestock business to include goats. Most importantly, I want to see my children complete their education.” Through beekeeping, Loveness has not only secured a livelihood but also created a future filled with possibilities for herself and her family. https://honeywithheart.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/loveness_gunde_explaining_her_story-720p.mp4