Building Resilience with Bees, Chickens, and Partnership

Daniel was stuck with all his eggs in one basket. His “basket” was a small family farm in central Nigeria, where he lived with his wife, Mgohol, and their two children. Daniel worked day in and day out, but he was not making enough money from farming to take care of his family. 

“Any year we experience [a] poor harvest, my family economy goes from bad to worse,” Daniel said. “The result was my inability to meet family needs such as school fees.”  

Determined to find an additional source of income, Daniel came up with a way to put his eggs in different baskets. The plan? He was going to raise poultry.  

Daniel began building a hen house, but completing the project and purchasing chicks to inhabit it would take more money than he had on hand. Without the resources to diversify their income, Daniel and his family remained at the mercy of forces beyond their control. 

Adding Bees to the “Basket” 

Then one day he discovered Mellifera Foods Ltd., a local partner of Partners Worldwide that empowers rural farmers to generate income through beekeeping. (Their name, Mellifera, comes from the scientific name for honeybee.)  

Like Partners Worldwide, Mellifera understands the transformative power of capital. Without access to capital, entrepreneurs and their families remain trapped in poverty, unable to experience the abundant life God desires for them. But with it, entrepreneurs can grow or launch their businesses, meet the needs of their families, and offer employment to those in their community.  

And so, Mellifera provided Daniel with a loan—first for ten beehives in 2021, followed by another ten in 2022. In addition to providing him with the hives, Mellifera trained Daniel in his new role as beekeeper, ensuring that he had the skills needed to make a profit. 

The Sweet Taste of Success 

With thousands of bees to look after, Daniel had his work cut out for him. 

To keep his hives operating at their best, he inspected them regularly for damage, pest contamination, and disease; monitored egg production, provided supplemental nutrition; and even replaced underperforming queen bees. 

In the end, his hard work paid off. Daniel harvested 472 kg of honey in 2023—enough to fill 1,388 containers of honey!  

Daniel sold his honey to Mellifera, where it would be processed and distributed for consumption. Using the profits, Daniel was able to complete his chicken coop and purchase the chicks he needed to start producing poultry.