Create a buzz for BÓthar this Valentine’s Day

Spread the sweetness this coming Valentine’s Day by supporting Bóthar’s Valentine’s Appeal that has been raising funds to support and grow their honeybee projects throughout the developing world since 2001.

Simply show your ‘s-warm’ and caring nature and give your ‘honey’ a bee-hive for Valentine’s Day. On supporting the appeal, Bóthar will send you a special Valentine’s card to give to your ‘honey’ on February 14th.

For as little as €50 you can contribute to the Bóthar Honey Bee Appeal and help alleviate poverty and hunger for poor children in the developing world.

Maria Kyako’s Story.

Mary is a 42-year-old mother of 5, living in a little village called Kazogi in Uganda. Mary lives in a 1-room, round mud hut. The area has no sanitation, no tarmac roads, no dwellings as we would know them, and electricity is limited to one or two government structures.

Mary’s husband abandoned her and her family when her youngest was just 8 months old. She has struggled for years to simply put food in front of her children.

Can you imagine how hard Mary’s life has been?

Three years ago, Mary heard about the Kyakahinda Bee Keeping Project that was active in her area. The project, funded by Bóthar, was made possible because of donations raised during Bóthar’s annual honeybee appeal.

Mary applied for membership and was accepted by the group. She attended the training programmes and learned about practising modern agriculture including tree planting, and soil and water conservation.

Once she had completed the training course Mary was presented with 5 new modern beehives. Within 3 months, the 5 beehives were occupied and Mary’s home was a-buzz with activity!

Money earned from the sale of honey and wax changed Mary’s life. After two years Mary was able to pay for schoolbooks & uniforms and could finally allow her children to go to school. She was even able to buy her own small patch of land. Now that she is self-sufficient Mary is like a different person. She no longer seems fearful and timid. Now she is smiling and proud of her achievements.

Each family, like Mary’s, that receives a gift of honeybees is provided with training in the art of bee keeping, as well as the harvesting and the marketing of the honey and wax. The charity also provides protective clothing that can be shared amongst a community group. Beehives require almost no space and, once established, are inexpensive to maintain.

Your donation will sponsor one hive of Honey Bees, and provide protective clothing and training for a struggling family. It takes three hives of honeybees to make up one full bee-keeping unit that will make a difference to a family in need.

Bees provide many benefits to our project families in Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana, Cameroon and Zambia. Native bees produce a sweet, medicinal honey and valuable wax, both of which are in high demand in the local markets. More importantly honeybees pollinate trees and plants in the surrounding area, thereby improving some fruit and vegetable yields. In this way beehives can improve a whole community.

So, instead of spending €50 on a bunch of roses that will last a week, spend it on a gift that lasts a life-time and help a needy family break out of the poverty line.

The special ‘Bee My Honey’ Valentine’s Card is available from Bóthar by phone on 1850 82 99 99 or post your donation to Bee My Honey, Bóthar, Old Clare Street, Limerick.

Normal Valentine’s cards just don’t create the buzz that Bóthar honeybee cards do! So spread the sweetness this Valentine’s Day and spend your money on a card that saves lives!