The training brought together participants from East Efate, Nguna, Pele, Epi, Tongoa, Emae and Port Vila, including both able-bodied women and women living with disabilities.

Held on Monday and Tuesday this week, the workshop focused on basic bee management and beekeeping skills, equipping participants with practical knowledge on how to care for bee colonies and manage hives safely.

The programme is expected to lead to the installation of nine beehives across participating communities, marking the beginning of local honey production projects managed by the women themselves.

Participants learned how to manage beehives, feed and maintain bees, harvest honey safely and identify threats that may harm the hives.

Speaking to the Daily Post, WITTT Community Mobiliser Catherine Kalomut, who oversees the Teouma to Matarisu area, said the training introduced many women to a new field.

“Training for beekeeping is a new thing for us. I have never been part of this kind of training before, but through these two days of training this week, I found that bees are very special and can help our livelihoods as mothers in East Efate and even in Vanuatu,” Kalomut said.

She said two women from her area attended the training and plan to pass on their new knowledge to others.

“There are two of us who came and learned from this training and we will go back and train our friends and families on what we learned,” she said.

“We will tell them what we learned and how bees can help sustain our livelihoods in our communities, especially for mothers and women.”

The training also included women with disabilities through WITTT Sunshine, ensuring the opportunity reached a wider group of women across the islands.

Rossie Sisi from Nguna Island, who works with ActionAid Vanuatu supporting women, mothers and girls with disabilities in Nguna and Pele, said the workshop gave her practical skills and confidence.

“I came to this training to learn how to look after honey bees and I learned a lot of things,” Ms Sisi said.

“I learned how to look after bees, how to feed them, clean them and how to harvest honey without getting stung.”

She said one of the most useful lessons involved the safe use of smoke when approaching hives.

“What I really like about this workshop is that we learn that if we use smoke every time we go to the hive, they cannot sting,” she said.

Sisi said she intends to return home and share her knowledge with other women and mothers on the islands.

“I will go back and teach other sister mamas in the islands and from learning here I have seen that it will benefit us a lot if we look after it very well,” she said.

Organisers say the nine hives will be installed in the communities represented by the participants, where the women will take responsibility for managing and maintaining them as they begin their honey production journey.

The initiative is expected to create new livelihood opportunities while encouraging women-led and disability-inclusive economic activities across Vanuatu communities.

SOURCE: VANUATU DAILY POST