Among the hives of Albania
ita eng"The worker bee" is the name chosen by a group of women who have managed to organise and unite in the name of beekeeping. Today, honey production is a significant income opportunity for them and their families
The group consists of 33 women who live in various villages in the Qelëz area, northern Albania. Initially there were several small groups of 5-6 women who practiced beekeeping at different levels and who tried to expand this activity.
In the framework of the W.O.M.E.N (Women Of the Mountain Empowerment Network) project – funded by the European Union and promoted by RTM, PfD, and Centro Donna Passi Leggeri – the various groups have decided to take joint action and have obtained funding that has allowed to open a small honey processing centre and expand each woman's hives.
Considering the good results achieved and the potential that has emerged, during the project Alliance for the Development and Promotion of Family Agriculture in Northern Albania the group "The worker bee" was selected by COSPE and Centro Donna Passi Leggeri as one of economic initiatives included to support women living in rural areas.
Namely, the group benefited from some mobile equipment that make honey processing easier, and technical support from experts in the sector. In addition, the group has become the protagonist of a series of activities aimed at promoting local production, strengthening its presence on the market, and going from a small production destined for sale in the village and surrounding areas to a quantitatively and qualitatively superior production that has been presented on several occasions, like the Pukë and Scutari fairs (regionally) and the Tirana and Berat fairs (nationally).
