Empowering Refugee Women in Houston through Honey Bee Farming The overall goal of the project was to replicated in Houston Hashoo Foundation ’s globally recognized Women Empowering through Honey Bee Farming Project “Plan Bee” to empower 5 refugee women in beekeeping to enable them earn a secondary income through the sale of honey. To achieve this goal, Hashoo Foundation USA (HF USA) partnered with the Alliance for Multicultural Community Services refugee settlement, Chapelwood Foundation, Neighborhood Centers Seed for Change, Houston students, and community organizations. Click the report below to see how we achieved our goal...

1.
i

2.
ii
Our
Vision
Our
vision
is
of
an
ethical,
equitable,
inclusive
and
progressive
society
in
which
people
live
with
dignity
and
have
power
over
their
own
lives.
Our
Mission
Our
mission
is
to
enable
and
empower
communities
to
be
independent
by
facilitating
equitable
access
to
opportunities,
through
Economic
Development,
Human
Capital
Development
and
Social
Protection
programs.
Our
Values
Hashoo
Foundation
draws
on
the
values
of
equity,
inclusivity,
transparency,
innovation,
integrity,
respect
and
fulfillment.
About
Us
Hashoo
Foundation
is
a
progressive
and
dynamic
non-­‐profit
organization,
leading
the
way
in
human
development
and
poverty
alleviation
by
implementing
viable
economic
development,
educational
and
capacity
building
programs
in
Pakistan.
Hashoo
Foundation
USA
works
locally
to
raise
awareness,
promote
intercultural
relations
and
understanding,
as
it
builds
partnerships
with
other
non-­‐profit
and
professional
organizations,
private
sector
and
concerned
individuals
to
promote
the
Foundation’s
programs
and
increase
its
fundraising
capacity
to
help
support
the
Hashoo
Foundation’s
economic
development,
education,
skills
development
and
humanitarian
assistance
programs.
Hashoo
Foundation
USA
is
a
non-­‐profit
organization
under
section
501(c)
(3)
of
the
Internal
Revenue
Service
(IRS)
code
EIN
20-­‐0748173
and
is
registered
with
the
following
registration
authorities:
-­‐
Trust
Act
1882
vide
Registration
No
661
Sub-­‐Registrar
T-­‐Div
II
Karachi
dated
16/07/1988
-­‐
Exempted
from
Taxes
with
approval
by
CBR
under
SRO
169(1)/2005
notified/published
in
Gazette
of
Pakistan
dated
15/02/2005
under
clause
(3)
of
clause
(58)
-­‐
Pakistan
Centre
for
Philanthropy
2011
registration
-­‐
Charities
Commission
in
the
UK

3.
iii
Contents
Acronyms
....................................................................................................................................................
1
1-­‐
Project
Summary
.................................................................................................................................
2
2-­‐
Project
Goal
.........................................................................................................................................
3
3-­‐
Project
Activities
Under
Taken
...........................................................................................................
4
Phase
I
.....................................................................................................................................................
4
3.1
Culture
Shock
Charity
Show
for
Plan
Bee
...................................................................................
4
Phase
II
....................................................................................................................................................
5
3.2
Community
Mobilization
............................................................................................................
5
3.3
Training
and
Technical
Support
..................................................................................................
6
3.4
Plan
Bee
Houston
Honey
Business
Group
..................................................................................
8
3.5
Distribution
of
Beehives
and
Production
Kits
.............................................................................
9
3.6
Installation
of
Beehives
............................................................................................................
10
3.7
Monitoring
Visits
to
the
Project
...............................................................................................
11
3.8
Honey
Extraction
......................................................................................................................
12
3.9
Honey
Production
....................................................................................................................
15
Phase
III
.................................................................................................................................................
16
3.10
Packaging
...............................................................................................................................
16
3.11
Branding
and
Marketing
........................................................................................................
17
3.12
Plan
Bee
Honey
Packaging
and
Price
.....................................................................................
17
3.13
Honey
Sale
.............................................................................................................................
20
3.14
Presentation
of
Checks
to
the
New
Refugee
Women
Beekeepers
.......................................
20
4-­‐
Output
and
Achievements
of
the
Project
.........................................................................................
21
5-­‐
Challenges
and
Assumptions
............................................................................................................
22
6-­‐
Lessons
Learned
................................................................................................................................
22
7-­‐
Conclusion
.........................................................................................................................................
22
Annexure
1
–
Budget
Summary
................................................................................................................
23
Annexure
2
–
Contributions
......................................................................................................................
24

4.
1
Acronyms
AMCS
Alliance
for
Multicultural
Community
Services
HF
Hashoo
Foundation
HF
USA
Hashoo
Foundation
USA

5.
2
1-­‐ Project
Summary
Project
Title
Plan
Bee
Houston
Honey
Business
Group
-­‐
Women
Empowerment
through
Honey
Bee
Farming
Project
Implementing
Partners
Hashoo
Foundation
USA
(HF
USA)
Alliance
for
Multicultural
Community
Services
(AMCS)
Partners
-­‐ Klein
Forest
High
School
Pakistani-­‐Indian
Student
Association
(PISA)
-­‐ Xavier
Educational
Academy
-­‐ Lee
High
School
Interact
Club
&
ROTC
-­‐ Clements
High
School
Interact
-­‐ Sharpstown
International
School
Capstone
International
Program
-­‐ Rotaract
Galleria
-­‐ Chapelwood
Foundation
Community
Grant
-­‐ Neighborhood
Seeds
for
Change
-­‐ Talento
Bilingue
of
Houston
-­‐ Mayor's
Office
of
Education
Initiatives
&
Mayor’s
Volunteer
Initiatives
Program
-­‐ Citizenship
Month
-­‐ Community
College
International
Program
(CCIP)
-­‐ Powerful
Women
International
(PWI)
Area
of
Implementation
Guy,
Texas
Total
Number
of
Direct
Beneficiaries
5
Refugee
women
Total
Number
of
Indirect
Beneficiaries
25
family
members
Facilitator
Cristal
Montañéz
Baylor,
Executive
Director,
HF
USA
Project
Manager
Narayan
Dhurali,
Training
&
Production
Coordinator
AMCS
Implementing
Team
HF
USA
&
AMCS
Technical
Support
County
Extension
–
Spring
Green
Farm
Project
Fort
Bend
County
Extension
Agent-­‐
Horticulture,
Texas
A&M
AgriLife
Extension
Service
Project
Duration
November
2013
-­‐
December
2014
Projected
Budget
$10,900
Country
USA

6.
3
2-­‐ Project
Goal
The
overall
goal
of
the
project
was
to
replicate
in
Houston
Hashoo
Foundation
’s
globally
recognized
Women
Empowering
through
Honey
Bee
Farming
Project
“Plan
Bee”
to
empower
5
refugee
women
in
beekeeping
to
enable
them
earn
a
secondary
income
through
the
sale
of
honey.
The
refugee
women
are
part
of
the
Alliance
for
Multicultural
Community
Services
(AMCS)
Community
Garden
Program.
AMCS
is
a
non-­‐profit
organization
dedicated
to
help
refugees,
immigrants,
and
low-­‐
income
residents
of
Harris
County
become
self-­‐sufficient
and
improve
their
quality
of
life.
The
women
are
trained
as
farmers
and
sell
the
vegetables
they
produce
to
the
market.
However,
the
income
they
earn
is
not
enough.
Developing
the
proposed
honey
micro-­‐enterprises
will
help
these
refugee
women
earn
a
secondary
income
and
improve
their
quality
of
life.
To
achieve
this
goal,
Hashoo
Foundation
USA
(HF
USA)
partnered
with
the
Alliance
for
Multicultural
Community
Services
refugee
settlement,
Chapelwood
Foundation,
Neighborhood
Centers
Seed
for
Change,
Houston
students,
and
community
organizations.
HF
USA
and
AMCS
worked
together
to
build
the
capacity
of
5
refugee
women
and
facilitate
the
needs
of
the
project
in
accordance
to
the
MOU
signed
by
both
organizations.
HF
USA
created
the
business
plan,
raised
the
funds
to
provide
the
equipment
needed
to
initiate
the
Plan
Bee
Honey
Business
Group
pilot
project
to
empower
5
refugee
women
in
honey
bee
farming,
facilitated
the
branding,
marketing
and
sale
of
the
honey.
AMCS
managed
the
project,
identify
and
recruited
5
refugee
women,
trained
them
in
honey
bee
farming,
transported
the
refugee
women
every
two
weeks
to
the
farm
and
partnered
with
County
Extension
–
Spring
Green
Farm
Project
Fort
Bend
County
Extension
Agent
-­‐
Horticulture,
Texas
A&M
AgriLife
Extension
Service.
The
aim
of
the
project
was
to:
-­‐ Train
and
build
the
capacity
of
5
refugee
women
in
Houston
in
honey
bee
farming.
-­‐ Organize
the
refugee
beekeepers
in
a
Honey
Business
Group.
-­‐ Distribute
20
beehives,
20
bee
boxes
with
queens,
5
productions
kits
and
one
extractor.
-­‐ Enable
the
refugee
women
earn
a
secondary
income
through
the
sale
of
honey.

7.
4
3-­‐ Project
Activities
Under
Taken
Phase
I
3.1
Culture
Shock
Charity
Show
for
Plan
Bee
Hashoo
Foundation
USA
has
provided
Houston
students
with
a
platform
to
engage
in
sustainable
micro-­‐
enterprises
to
help
women
become
self-­‐sufficient
as
they
develop
a
compassionate
and
philanthropic
perspective
of
the
global
community.
In
November
2013,
the
Culture
Shock
Charity
Show
for
Plan
Bee
led
by
Klein
Forest
High
School
PISA,
brought
together
over
seventy
students
from
Lee
High
School
Interact
Club
&
ROTC,
Xavier
Educational
Academy
Interact
Club,
Clements
High
School
Interact
Club
and
Sharpstown
International
School
Senior
Capstone
International,
volunteers
and
community
organizations
worked
together
to
put
on
a
truly
international
Show.
The
students
and
participants
representing
22
countries
with
diverse
cultural
backgrounds
and
faiths,
including
Albania,
Bangladesh,
Bhutan,
Cambodia,
China,
Colombia,
Egypt,
El
Salvador,
Ethiopia,
Guatemala,
Haiti,
Honduras,
India,
Indonesia,
Italy,
Mexico,
Nepal,
Pakistan,
Turkey,
Taiwan,
Venezuela
and
United
worked
together
and
raised
$5,000.00
to
help
empower
5
refugee
women
in
honey
bee
farming.
This
initiative
was
part
of
Houston's
Citizenship
Month
2013
celebrations.
Chapelwood
Foundation
and
Neighborhood
Centers
Seed
for
Change
partnered
with
Hashoo
Foundation
to
support
the
development
and
implementation
of
this
youth
led
pilot
project
in
Houston
to
benefit
women's
micro
enterprise.
Chapelwood
Foundation
awarded
a
Community
Grant
for
$2,000
and
Neighborhood
Centers
Seed
for
Change
granted
a
Community
Grant
for
$1,500.

8.
5
The
funds
raised
were
invested
in
20
beehives,
20
bee
packages
and
queens,
20
super
boxes,
20
bee
feeders,
5
productions
kits,
each
one
of
them
included
(complete
one
piece
bee-­‐suit,
beekeeping
gloves,
bee
smoker,
hive
tool,
bee
brush,
uncapping
knife,
wax
pan,
bottling
bucket
kits)
and
one
extractor.
Phase
II
3.2
Community
Mobilization
AMCS
recruited
women
who
have
experienced
barriers
to
long-­‐term
employment
in
the
US.
The
challenges
that
many
newly
arrived
refugee
women
face
in
the
job
market
may
include
limited
English
proficiency,
childcare
needs,
and
a
lack
of
formal
education.
Criteria
for
Women’s
Selection
-­‐ Lowest
income
household.
-­‐ Age
between
40
and
64
years
old.
-­‐ Date
of
arrival
in
the
USA
as
refugee
beginning
in
January
2010
up
to
date.

9.
6
-­‐ Availability
and
willingness
to
get
involved.
-­‐ Lowest
education
and
literacy
level.
-­‐ Project
began
with
Bhutanese
and
Nepalese
women.
Other
ethnic
groups
will
join
as
the
project
develops.
Refugee
women
Pabitra
Giri,
Ambika
Acharya,
Chandra
Magar,
Mom
Acharya
and
Khina
Darjee
were
selected
to
participate
in
Plan
Bee
Honey
Business
Group
pilot
project.
3.3
Training
and
Technical
Support
AMSC
trained
the
refugee
women
in
honey
bee
farming,
extraction
and
packaging.
Fort
Bend
County
Texas
A&M
AgriLife
Extension
Services
and
local
beekeepers
worked
closely
with
the
AMCS
Project
Coordinator
to
ensure
the
quality
of
the
beehives
and
honey
production,
and
that
best
practices
were
followed.

10.
7
The
Fort
Bend
county
agents
supplied
the
equipment
to
tests
the
moisture
of
the
honey
to
ensure
that
all
honey
produced
is
of
a
high
quality.

11.
8
3.4
Plan
Bee
Houston
Honey
Business
Group
The
refugee
women
were
organized
under
the
Plan
Bee
Houston
Honey
Business
Group
following
the
model
implemented
by
HF
in
Pakistan.
Under
this
model,
the
Plan
Bee
Houston
Honey
Business
Group
owns
the
equipment
and
the
beehives,
which
are
allocated
to
the
5
refugee
women.
In
case
one
of
the
refugee
women
decides
to
leave
the
Business
Group,
AMCS
will
be
able
to
recruit
another
refugee
woman
in
her
place.
This
approach
is
cost
effective,
easily
managed,
provides
the
Business
Group
members
the
opportunity
to
share
knowledge,
and
minimizes
risk
factors
as
the
women
increase
their
capacity
to
face
challenges
collectively.
The
Plan
Bee
Honey
Business
Group
motivates
the
members
of
the
group
to
develop
and
adopt
strategies
collectively
to
promote
the
sustainability
of
their
enterprises.
Women
beekeepers
in
Pakistan
New
refugee
women
beekeepers
in
Houston

12.
9
3.5
Distribution
of
Beehives
and
Production
Kits
On
April
26,
2014,
20
beehives,
production
kits
and
extractor
were
presented
to
the
Plan
Bee
Honey
Business
Group
and
allocated
among
the
5
new
refugee
beekeepers.
Good
protective
clothing
such
as
bee-­‐suit,
gloves
and
head
protector
gave
the
beginner
beekeepers
confidence.

13.
10
3.6
Installation
of
Beehives
On
May
5,
2014,
Narayan
Dhurali,
Training
&
Production
Coordinator
AMCS
and
Mr.
Tim, Peter's Farm
foreman, installed
the
20
beehives
at
Peter’s
Farm,
located
in
Fort
Bend
County
in
Guy,
Texas.

14.
11
3.7
Monitoring
Visits
to
the
Project
The
new
trained
refugee
beekeepers
under
the
supervision
of
Narayan
Dhurali
visited
and
monitored
the
beehives
every
two
weeks.
2014
Harvest
Period
The
beekeepers
inspected
their
beehives
regularly
to
know
when
the
colonies
were
ready
for
harvesting.
Considering
that
the
honey-­‐harvesting
period
starts
a
few
weeks
after
blooming
and
by
then
the
honey
should
be
ripe
and
ready
for
harvesting.
The
beekeepers
observed
for
the
following
signs:
-­‐ Bees
becoming
aggressive
while
guarding
the
beehive
because
they
can
sting
at
the
slightest
provocation.
-­‐ Presence
of
worker
bees
outside
the
hive
in
large
numbers.
Routine
Management
-­‐ Honey
bee
colonies
were
inspected
every
two
weeks
to
make
sure
bees
were
in
good
condition
and
the
colonies
had
adequate
temperature
to
help
increase
honey
producers
and
decreasing
the
tendency
to
swarming
in
order
to
keep
multiplying/increasing
the
number
of
colonies
in
the
beehives.
-­‐ The
beehives
were
cleaned
and
free
of
water
leaks.
-­‐ Checked
for
any
abnormal
behavior
of
bees
at
the
entrance
since
their
behavior
can
indicate
too
much
heat
or
beehive
is
full
of
combs
or
bees
want
to
swarm.
-­‐ Checked
if
the
beehives
were
stable
or
needed
any
repairs
to
keep
them
in
optimal
condition.

15.
12
3.8
Honey
Extraction
The
refugee
beekeepers
were
blessed
with
favorable
weather
conditions
and
abundant
honey
production
yields
during
their
first
honey
season.
Honey
yield
fluctuates
from
one
year
to
another
and
varies
between
colonies.
The
average
production
of
honey
per
mature
and
established
beehives
is
approximately
40
lbs.

16.
13
Uncapping
Honey
Frames
Beeswax
is
a
product
of
the
honey
bee.
It
is
produced
from
the
bee's
own
body
during
the
warm
period
of
the
day.
The
bee
uses
wax
to
build
the
comb
cells
in
which
its
brood
is
reared,
and
also
the
cells
in
which
honey
and
pollen
are
stored.
Honey
bees
preserve
the
honey
by
capping
it
in
wax
cells.
To
extract
the
honey,
the
tops
of
the
cells,
or
caps,
need
to
be
removed.
Bees
to
produce
1
pound
of
beeswax
consume
about
5
to
7
pounds
of
honey.

17.
14
The
color
and
flavor
of
honey
differs
depending
on
the
nectar
source
(the
blossoms)
visited
by
the
honey
bees.
In
fact,
there
are
more
than
300
unique
types
of
honey
available
in
the
United
States,
each
originating
from
a
different
floral
source.
Honey
color
ranges
from
nearly
colorless
to
dark
brown,
and
its
flavor
vary
from
delectably
mild
to
distinctively
bold,
depending
on
where
the
honey
bees
buzzed.
In
SE
Texas
the
nectar
from
rag
weeds
and
golden
rod
flowers
makes
the
honey
darker.
As
a
general
rule,
light-­‐colored
honey
is
milder
in
taste
and
dark-­‐colored
honey
is
stronger.

18.
15
3.9
Honey
Production
The
beehives
of
the
Plan
Bee
Houston
Business
Group
produced
284
lbs.
from
19
out
of
20
beehives
newly
established
hives.
It
is
important
to
mention
that
not
all
the
frames
in
the
beehives
were
ready
to
be
harvested
in
this
first
season.
The
beekeepers
are
expecting
at
least
two
harvests
in
2015
weather
permits.
Plan
Bee
Honey
Business
Group
Production
Chart
Extraction
Dates
Quantity
Produced
No.
of
Beehives
10/31/2014
80
lbs.
5
11/7/2014
120
lbs.
9
12/16/2014
84
lbs.
4
284
lbs.
19

19.
16
Phase
III
3.10
Packaging
The
Plan
Bee
honey
is
processed
locally
and
packed
in
food
graded
glass
jars
by
the
new
refugee
women
beekeepers,
HF
USA
and
AMCS
volunteers.

20.
17
3.11
Branding
and
Marketing
Hashoo
Foundation
USA
created
the
labels
and
determined
the
price
of
the
Plan
Bee
honey
based
on
the
Houston
Market
Research
prepared
by
Elena
Penso,
Marketing
Consultant
volunteer.
The
main
objective
was
to
create
an
attractive
label
and
packaging
to
compete
in
the
market
place.
Another,
important
consideration
was
to
inform
the
buyers
that
the
production
and
sale
of
Plan
Bee
honey
directly
benefited
the
refugee
women
beekeepers.
Honey
prices
in
our
local
market
tend
to
be
higher
when
the
honey
is
being
produced
and
marketed
by
a
non-­‐profit
organization.
Prices
fluctuate
between
$7
and
$12
dollars
for
8oz
to
12oz.
jars.
The
average
retail
price
for
honey
in
Texas
is
$6.37
and
wholesale
price
$4.98
for
16
oz.(September
2014).
It
is
important
to
take
into
consideration
bottle
size
and
material
(Glass
vs.
Plastic)
to
pack
and
market
honey
in
order
to
increase
profits.
According
to
the
Harris
County
Bee
Keeper
Association,
experienced
honey
producers
suggested
the
use
of
plastic
16
oz.
bottles
instead
of
glass
in
order
to
minimize
costs
and
increase
profits.
However
when
researching
for
this
market
analysis
we
found
out
that
8oz
glass
jars
are
cost
effective
instead
of
the
16
oz.
bottles
when
used
to
target
the
most
affluent
and
upscale
buyers.
Suggested
price
for
a
16
oz.
bottle
is
$12
in
comparison
to
8oz
bottle,
which
can
range
from
$8
to
$10.
3.12
Plan
Bee
Honey
Packaging
and
Price
The
AMCS
projected
to
sell
the
pound
(16
oz.)
of
honey
at
$10
per
jar
under
the
packaging.
Below.
AMCS
Plan
Bee
Cost
&
Profit/16
oz./
Jar
Cost/16ozJar
/Lid
Labels
Bee
Fabric
String
Cost/Finish
Jar
Sales
Price/9oz
Profit
0.70
0
0
0
0.70
10.00
9.30

21.
18
HF
USA
created
a
new
packaging
and
labels
and
raised
the
price
of
the
16
oz.
glass
jar
of
Plan
Bee
honey
from
$10
to
$13
increasing
the
profit
by
$2.33.
HF
USA
Plan
Bee
Cost
&
Profit
Projection/16
oz./
Jar
Cost/16o
z
Jar/Lid
Labels
Bee
Fabric
String
Cost/Finish
13oz
Jar
Sales
Price/9oz
Profit
Profit
Increment/
16
oz
Jar
0.70
0.42
0.19
0.06
1.37
13.00
11.63
2.33
and
Introduced
the
9
oz.
at
$10
per
jar.
HF
USA
Plan
Bee
Cost
&
Profit
/9
oz
Jar
Cost/9ozJar/
Lid
Labels
Bee
Fabric
String
Cost/Finish
9oz
Jar
Sales
Price/9oz
Profit
1.04
0.42
0.19
0.06
1.71
10.00
8.29
HF
USA
determined
the
price
of
the
Plan
Bee
honey
and
the
size
of
the
jars
based
on
the
results
of
the
Houston
Market
Research
and
by
comparing
the
prices
of
the
honey
of
other
local
non-­‐profit
organizations
and
the
most
popular
honey
sold
in
the
commercial
retail
market.

22.
19
Plan
Bee
Honey
Label
Front
Back

23.
20
3.13
Honey
Sale
The
first
200
lbs.
of
Plan
Bee
honey
were
sold
as
follows:
-­‐ 100
lbs.
to
Marathon
Oil
Company
for
Christmas
gifts
(120
9
oz.
jars).
-­‐ 100
lbs.
in
9
oz.
and
16
oz.
jars
to
individuals
for
gifts.
The
120
9
oz.
jars
of
Plan
Bee
honey
sold
to
Marathon
Oil
Company
were
presented
to
50
Non-­‐profit
organizations
and
other
corporate
partners
at
the
Marathon
Oil
Community
giving
the
project
great
visibility
in
the
community.
Plan
Bee
honey
is
for
sale
at
the
AMCS
located
at
6440
Hillcroft
Avenue
Suite
411.
Houston,
TX
77081
In
two
sizes:
-­‐ 9
oz.
jar
at
$10
-­‐ 16
oz.
jar
at
$13
3.14
Presentation
of
Checks
to
the
New
Refugee
Women
Beekeepers
On
January
20,
2015,
Yani
Keo
Rose,
Executive
Director
AMCS
and
Cristal
Montañéz
Baylor,
Executive
Director
HF
USA,
presented
the
new
beekeepers
with
the
checks
from
the
sale
of
Plan
Bee
Honey.
AMCS
hosted
the
ceremony.
Community
members
and
other
organizations
attended
this
exciting
and
important
moment.

24.
21
Both
organizations
encouraged
the
beekeepers
to
invest
30%
of
their
earning
back
into
the
growth
of
their
honey
producing
business
by
acquiring
more
beehives
to
increase
their
production.
4-­‐ Output
and
Achievements
of
the
Project
- 5
Refugee
women
identified,
mobilized
and
organized
in
Plan
Bee
Houston
Honey
Business
Group.
- 5
Refugee
women
trained
in
beekeeping,
honey
production
and
best
practices.
- 20
Beehives
provided
to
Plan
Bee
Houston
Honey
Business
Group.
4
beehives
allocated
to
each
one
of
the
beekeeper.
- 5
Productions
kits
(complete
bee
suit,
beekeeping
gloves,
bee
smoker,
hive
tool,
bee
brush,
uncapping
knife,
wax
pan)
provided
to
each
beekeeper.
- 1
Extractor
provided
for
Plan
Bee
Houston
Honey
Business
Group.
- 284
lbs
of
honey
extracted
from
October
31
to
December
16,
2014.
- Plan
Bee
honey
brand
developed.
- Refugee
women
linked
to
profitable
markets.
- 200
lbs
of
honey
sold.
- 25
indirect
beneficiaries.

25.
22
5-­‐ Challenges
and
Assumptions
-­‐ Proposed
honey
production
of
40
lbs.
per
beehive
could
not
be
achieved
due
to
the
unusual
cold
weather
from
January
to
April
2014,
which
caused
the
installation
of
the
beehives
to
be
postponed
until
the
beginning
of
May
shortening
the
honey
production
season.
-­‐ Transportation
of
the
refugee
women
to
the
farm
every
two
weeks
created
a
burden
to
AMCS
due
to
high
prices
of
gasoline
in
2014.
-­‐ The
bee
colonies
are
growing
faster
then
expected.
More
super
boxes
(beehives)
and
bee
feeders
are
needed
to
host
the
growing
colonies
to
prevent
swarming.
6-­‐ Lessons
Learned
HF
USA
and
AMCS
observed
the
following:
- Refugee
women
were
motivated
to
improve
their
socio-­‐economic
conditions.
- Refugee
women
showed
great
enthusiasm
and
forthcoming
attitude
to
learn
more
about
honey
bee
farming
techniques
to
upgrade
their
businesses.
- Trained
refugee
beekeepers
played
an
important
role
in
creating
an
enabling
environment
in
their
communities
to
help
to
promote
diversity
and
tolerance.
- Honey
bee
keeping
is
a
model
of
civil
society
enterprise
development.
Beekeepers
learned
how
bees
are
organized
and
have
specific
role
to
play
in
producing
honey.
With
a
clear
understanding
of
team
work,
specific
tasks
to
achieve
a
desirable
results
and
participating
in
the
tasks
can
lead
to
an
organized
society
among
the
people
particularly
women
and
other
partners
like
shops
keepers,
traders
and
suppliers.
7-­‐ Conclusion
Honey
bee
farming
is
a
lucrative
income
generating
enterprise.
The
Plan
Bee
Houston
Honey
Business
Group
enabled
Pabitra,
Ambika,
Chandra,
Mom
and
Khina
earn
a
secondary
income.
As
a
result,
the
new
beekeepers
are
empowered
and
more
confident
as
they
gained
more
economic
independence
and
financial
management
skills.
The
Plan
Bee
Houston
Business
Group
promotes
two
of
the
Millennium
Development
Goals
(MDGs).

26.
23
Annexure
1
–
Budget
Summary
Code
Equipment
Requirements
Quantity/
Beekeeper
Total
Quantity
Total
Amount
1.0
Beehives
1.1
Packaged
Bees
4
20
2,700.00
Sub-­‐total
2,700.00
2.0
Production
Kits
2.1
Assembled
Hive
(Box
that
houses
the
bees/brood)
4
20
2,200.00
2.2
Assembled
Super
(Box
that
houses
honey
chamber)
4
20
1,015.00
2.3
Queen
Excluder
Screen
4
20
299.00
2.4
Bee
Suits
Since
(Texas
bees
are
“Africanized”
it
is
recommended
to
buy
complete
one-­‐piece
suits)
1
5
357.50
2.5
Beekeeping
Gloves
2
10
104.50
2.6
Bee
Smokers
(Bees
must
be
“Smoked”
to
calm
them
for
the
beekeeper
to
work
the
hive)
1
5
196.50
2.7
Hive
Tool
(Breaks
open
the
hive
and
helps
remove
the
brood/honey
frames)
1
5
58.00
2.8
Bee
Brush
Tool
Gently
sweep
the
bees
away
from
the
frames)
1
5
21.75
2.9
Uncapping
Knife
(Comb
cutter
cuts
the
caps
off
the
wax
cells
to
extract
the
honey)
1
5
117.50
2.10
Wax
Pan
(Special
pan
for
reclaiming
the
hive’s
wax)
1
5
135.00
2.11
Bottling
Bucket
Kit
(5
gallon
bucket
for
filling
retail
bottles
w/1.5"
gate)
1
5
185.00
Sub-­‐total
4,689.75
3.0
Honey
Business
Group
Honey
Processing
Basic
Equipment
3.1
Stainless
Steel
Hand-­‐Cranked
Honey
Extractor
1
417.00
3.2
Stainless
Steel
Storage
Tank
W/Cover
1
266.75
3.3
Wax
Heater
(Reclaims
beeswax
for
frame
foundations
band-­‐style
for
a
5
gallon
pail)
1
107.00
Sub-­‐total
790.75
4.0
Project
Related
Expenses
4.1
Honey
bottles
(each
case
of
12/
9
oz.
glass
jar)
250
200.64
4.2
Gold
caps
(110
/
bag)
2
57.80
4.3
Labels
(Design
front/back
&
printing
full
color)
290.00
4.4
T-­‐shirts/posters/postcards/Charity
Show
misc.)
2,171.06
Sub-­‐total
2,738.40
Total
10,900.00
Cost
per
beekeeper
$1,635.10

27.
24
Annexure
2
–
Contributions
Partners
Contributions
1.0
Culture
Shock
Charity
Show
5,000.00
2.0
Chapelwood
Foundation
Community
Grant
2,000.00
3.0
Neighborhood
Centers
Seeds
for
Change
Grant
1,500.00
4.0
Hashoo
Foundation
USA
2,400.00
Total
10,900.00
Contact
information:
Cristal
Montañéz
Baylor
I
Executive
Director
Hashoo
Foundation
USA
M
+1
(713)
483-­‐4990
F+1
(713)
759-­‐0787
www.hashoofoundationusablog.org

28.
25