Bukobero: A New Chapter

We also have a fiscal sponsorship program involving the construction of a clinic in Bukobero. It has been a lengthy process, but we are finally coming to the end of the construction phase. Sheila Hosner, project manager for this project, has been able to secure over $200,000 in funding from the Rotary Club that will go toward furnishing the new clinic, as well as the necessary medical equipment. Sheila shares an update about an exciting ancillary business that will provide income to help with the operating expenses for the clinic in the years to come.

Hello friends,

Much has been going on with the Bukobero Community Health Centre and the Bukobero Community Cooperative in Uganda and I am excited to share updates with you.

Construction on the main building and the WASH facilities is mostly complete and work is now concentrating on interior finish work – completing terrazzo floors and counter tops, tiling, and built-in structures such as shelving. Soon we will be distributing the funds from a large Rotary International grant we were awarded which will complete the stormwater system, the retaining wall, final work on the building, and then purchase equipment and supplies.

From Construction to Honey Production

Our focus right now is developing a honey production business that will provide economic opportunities for local farmers and help support the health center. I have written a Rotary grant that will purchase 25 Kenyan Top Bar Hives (KTBHs) for a demonstration project, provide hands-on bee keeping training to 100 villagers, and hire a trained apiarist to manage the project. After the training, a local carpenter will be available to make KTBHs for community members that would like to purchase their own hives. Besides managing the demonstration hives, the apiarist will mentor the farmers with their own hives. A honey extractor and processing equipment will also be purchased to process the honey for commercial sales.

Kenyon Top Bar Hives were developed specifically for east Africa and east African bees. KTBHs are relatively inexpensive, allow movable combs, make colony management much easier, and produce more and higher quality honey than local hives.

This new project will create a sustainable business to help support the health center and provide income to local people. The goal is to build the demonstration project to 50 hives and to have 50 additional farmer-owned hives. Over time, each hive has the potential to produce about 28 kg of honey per year. Honey will be purchased from the local farmers and processed with the Cooperative honey. This cooperative marketing model will create a stable market for members, improve bargaining power, ensure consistent product quality, and enable access to premium markets.

Sheila Hosner

Bukobero Project Manager