Mount Holyoke College - Cristal Montañéz Baylor Delivers Keynote Speech "Empowering Women with the Help of Honey Bees" at the VI Five College Model United Nations (FCMUN)

Delegates from 13 universities participated in the VI Five College Model United Nations (FCMUN) hosted at the gorgeous and historical Mount Holyoke College campus in Connecticut, Massachusetts.

Cristal Montañéz Baylor, Executive Director Hashoo Foundation USA,  was the keynote speaker for the VI FCMUN  event.   Her presentation  highlighted the challenges facing changing societies and how Hashoo Foundation's Plan Bee is Empowering Women with the Help of Honey Bees by creating employment opportunities for women in the remote areas  in Pakistan.

Secretariat Members with Cristal Montañéz Baylor, Executive Director Hashoo Foundation USA

When interviewed about the event, Cristal Montañéz Baylor said “The Secretariat did an extraordinary job coordinating this event. I am in awe to think that these young ladies and their peers could be the future UN Delegates and Diplomats that will help shape and modify current policies to help empower girls and women and solve some of the world’s most critical issues. I am excited for what our future has to offer because of these young people.”

This event offers delegates small, interactive, dynamic and exhilarating committees run by the best students of the Five College Consortium, including Mount Holyoke College, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Smith College, Hampshire College and Amherst College. They believe in offering the most stimulating crises and facilitating provocative debate in every committee, and pride ourselves on offering one of the lowest delegate to staff ratios on the circuit. Five College Model United Nations has established a tradition of engaging and unique committees and a high-level of debate. http://www.fcmun.com

Empowering Women With the Help of Honey Bees_Cristal Montanez

Join Us At Our First Culture Shock Charity Show Kick-Off Party

WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU! Culture Shock Charity Show Kick-Off Party!! If you have any last minute questions, please don't hesitate to contact me at cristalmontanez@hashoofoundationusa.org. We are looking forward to seeing you! Culture Shock Charity Show Kick-Off Party Houston, TX Home of Barbara Aksamit Hosted by Barbara Aksamit and Iris McAlpine EVENT DETAILS Barbara Aksamit and Iris McAlpine Cordially Invite You To A Culture Shock Charity Show Kick-Off Party Benefiting  Women’s Empowerment through Honey Bee Farming Project "Plan Bee"  in Houston & Pakistan Featuring Honey Martinis and Hors D'oeuvres May 2, 2013  6:00 - 8:00 PM 1130 Banks Street  Houston, TX 77006 At the home of Barbara Aksamit $25.00 Honey Business Group $125.00  Plan Bee Ambassador $1,000.00 Queen Bee Together We Make a Difference!! Business Casual  Attire                                RSVP by April 29 Click to watch the "Plan Bee" beekeepers in action About Culture Shock Charity Show The Hashoo Foundation USA's goal is to expand the Klein Forest High School Pakistani-Indian Student Association (PISA) Culture Shock Charity Show success by bringing together youths of diverse cultural and faith backgrounds from other schools. This will provide the students with the opportunity to help empower women to support their family and educate their children, and increase revenue to invest in honey producing micro-enterprises that generate employment and income, both in Houston and Pakistan. Houston Students Help Women Beekeepers Rebuild Their Lives, 2011 PISA Culture Shock Charity Show Benefits Hashoo Foundation’s “Plan Bee”, 2012

USAID, Small Grant Ambassador Funds Program (SGAFP) and Hashoo Foundation Build the Capacity of 250 Women

Building Capacity For Women Beekeepers

USAID and Small Grant Ambassador Funds Program (SGAFP) in partnership with Hashoo Foundation, helped build the capacity of 250 flood affected women beekeepers in 5 villages in Gilgit-Baltistan, and 3 villages in Chitral.

Hashoo Foundation formed 9 "Honey Business Groups" and distributed 750 beehives and production kits to the women beekeepers after completion of the trainings.

Hashoo Foundation Imparted VCD Training to 250 Women Beekeepers of Gilgit-Baltistan & Chitral

Mr. Kamal Uddin, Program Manager Enterprise Development conducted the trainings in Danyore, Oshikandas, Hunza, Chantorkhand and Gupis, in Gilgit-Baltistan, and Mough, Murdan, and Booni in Chitral.  The trainings aim to make the beekeepers aware about basic knowledge of value addition techniques and VCD concepts and how value addition can help them to enhance demand of their product and expand market of honey. He fostered their understanding on steps of VCD from quality assurance processes, packaging, and marketing at the same maintaining supply of the products made of honey in a systematic manner.

Importance of Quality Assurance
Highlighting importance of quality assurance Mr. Kamal briefed trainees that quality of a product is the main factor, which leads it from production to a finished good. He further briefed them about strategies on maintenance quality from production process to its marketing.

Groups Work
To make the training participatory, facilitator arranged group activities, where they opening discussed on VCD mechanism. Later they presented group work using flip charts and white board.

 

Feedback of Participants
Sharing feedback trainees said that the training is eyes opener to upgrade their business through value addition of honey. They paid gratitude to Hashoo Foundation for imparting the training to help improve their living standards in the remote and vulnerable area of Gilgit-Baltistan.

K2 Pure-Honey Brand Produced by Beekeepers in Shigar Village in Pakistan

Hashoo Foundation Helps Beekeepers Develop and Market Their K2-Pure Honey Brand

Shigar Village, District Skardu in Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan.-   The Replication of Women Empowerment through Honey Bee Farming “Plan Bee” Project in the Village Shigar in District Skardu has enhanced the skills of another 50 women. Hashoo Foundation in partnership with a donor foundation procured 250 beehives and production kits, and distributed among the 50 trained beekeepers.

Formation of the Cluster-Based Association

A cluster-based association of the newly trained 50 women beekeepers was formed in Shigar Valley and registered under the umbrella of the Marphi Local Support Organization (MLSO).

Hashoo Foundation signed an MoU with Shigar Local Support Organization (SLSO) for collection and quality assurance of honey and develop understanding with local partners of Shigar for marketing the honey if could not be sold locally. The Foundation committed to process, package, label, market and sell the acquired product.

Success Story

Branding and Marketing K2 Pure-Honey Brand

The women of the Shigar Honey Business Group developed their own honey brand name K2 Pure-Honey.  Initially, Hashoo Foundation helped in developing branding and marketing of the honey through value chain development, however, now they are independently, marketing their honey with the technical supervision of the Marphi LSO, and the Shigar LSO is sharing the progress and challenges with Hashoo Foundation to strengthen the women based enterprise.

1,980 Lb. (900 Kg.) of honey has been produced and marketed since May 2012. There is a big demand for the honey in Shigar since there are no other brands available in the local market.

Packaging of Honey

The K2 Pure-Honey is processed locally and packed in food graded plastic jars. Currently, K2 Pure-Honey is available in three different packaging sizes, 
1.    300 gm. jar
2.    500 gm. jar
3.    1kg jar

Value Chain Development

Value Chain Development (VCD) is one of main focus for the Hashoo Foundation. The beekeepers are trained on the steps of VCD from quality assurance processes, packaging, and marketing to the final product. The training aims to make the beekeepers aware of basic knowledge of value addition techniques and value chain development concept which can help them enhance the demand of their product and expand the market of their honey. The main emphasis is on strategies to maintain the quality of the honey from the production process to its marketing.

Achievements

-    50 women identified, mobilized, trained and distributed production inputs in Shigar Valley in Skardu
-     250 beehives and production kits distributed
-    1,980 Lb. (900 Kg.) honey produced
-    $5,200 (PKRs. 500,000) earned by the Honey Business Group in 2012
-   218 children have access to quality education
-   289 indirect dependents benefit from this project
-    Women  involvement in decision-making is to increased to 100%
-    Extra income have spent on health care
-    Developed women business group
-    Developed brand of honey

Success Story - Women Beekeepers Create and Market Their Own SADA Pure-Honey Brand

Hussainabad Village, Skardu District in Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan.-    Chapelwood Foundation awarded a grant to the Hashoo Foundation USA for the replication of the Hashoo Foundation model of Women's Empowerment through Honey Bee Farming "Plan Bee" Project in Skardu in Northern Pakistan. The project was managed and implemented by the Hashoo Foundation. The duration of the project was two (2) years divided in two Phases:

- Phase I (April-October 2011) - Honey Bee Training  click for more information

- Phase II: Project (May-November 2012) - Sustainable Honey Production  Enterprises  click for more information

Success Story 

Women Beekeepers Form Honey Business Group and Create and Market Their  SADA Pure-Honey Brand

SADA Pure-Honey Brand

The beekeepers of the SADA Honey Business Group of Producers funded by the Chapelwood Foundation developed their own brand of honey called SADA Pure-Honey. Being that there are very few local brands of honey available in the Skardu district, the demand for SADA Pure-Honey was high even in the first year of its production.

This “Honey Business Group” has independently marketed 1,760 Lb. (800 Kg.) of honey as “SADA Pure-Honey.”  The resulting increase in income of the beneficiaries has enabled 106 girls and boys to have access to quality education.


SADA Pure-Honey Packaging

The SADA Pure-Honey is processed locally and packaged in food graded plastic jars. Currently, SADA Pure-Honey is available in two different sizes:
1) 300 gram jar
2) 500 gram jar

Specialty Outlet for SADA Pure-Honey

In addition to developing an independent brand and label, the women beekeepers of the SADA Honey Business Group of Producers identified and capitalized on a niche market for their honey and opened a specialty store that caters to tourists who have resumed visits to the remote mountainous Skardu region. These tourists are mostly from Japan and Northern Europe, and they pay premium prices of $12-$16 per Kg. (depending on availability) for SADA Pure- Honey.

Achievements

- 40 beekeepers were identified, mobilized and provided with beehives
           - 20 women beekeepers; 20 men beekeepers
- 80 beehives were distributed to the targeted beekeepers
           - 2 beehives per beekeeper
- 1,760 Lbs. (800 Kg.) of honey were produced in the 2012 honey harvesting season
- Income of $130 per beekeeper was earned in the 2012 honey harvesting season
- 100% increase in women’s involvement in decision making
- 100% increase in social gathering as a result of training and business development
- Development of women’s business group and independent store
- Development of SADA Honey brand
- Project indirectly impacted 253 dependents
- 35% Increase in women's household income, of which the women spend
         - 60% on education of their children
         - 10% on better nutrition for their families
         - 30% on healthcare expenses
- 30% increase in enrollment in schools
         - 106 children dependents were enrolled in school

Sharpstown International High School students partner with Hashoo Foundation USA

Students Capstone projects aim to support Plan Bee

Elianis, Sandra and Karen are three amazing, young entrepreneurs that attend Sharpstown International High School. These students decided to partner with the Hashoo Foundation USA for their Senior Capstone Project. Their Capstone projects aim to support Plan Bee by raising money and awareness to promote education and economic stability in remote areas of Pakistan and help refugee women in Houston. Here are these dynamic entrepreneurs in action!!!!

Sharpstown International High School Students Elianis, Sandra and Karen sell food items to raise funds for Hashoo Foundation’s Plan Bee Project during a school event

 

 

Sharpstown International High School Students Elianis, Sandra and Karen meet with Cristal Montañéz Baylor Executive Director to discuss their Capstone Projects to help empower women in Houston and Pakistan

Wellesley College - Cristal Montañéz Baylor, Executive Director Hashoo Foundation USA a Panelist at the Debunking the Model Minority Myth Panel

Asian Awareness Month Celebration at Wellesley College

Wellesley College celebrates Asian Awareness Month on March every year with a series of events to both honor the diverse heritages and inform the community about Asian and Asian American concerns. This year, the event was kick-started with a panel with a focus on Asian/Asian-American speakers who have done incredible work to “Debunking the Model Minority Myth” and are an inspiration to the greater Asian community by their impact, not only the Asian community in the United Sates, but abroad as well.

Cristal Montañéz Baylor, Executive Director represented the Hashoo Foundation USA in the “Debunking the Model Minority Myth” panel along with Scot Nakagawa from ChangeLab, and Linda Chin from Asian Taskforce Against Domestic Violence.

Additionally, Cristal made a presentation highlighting how the Foundation’s  economic development, educational and capacity building programs are improving the quality of life of women, men, boys and girls throughout Pakistan.   The emphasis of the presentation was on the Women Empowering through Honey Bee Farming Project Plan Bee and how this project is empowering women in the remote areas of Gilgit-Baltistan, Hunza and Chitral in Northern Pakistan by expanding employment opportunities and generating a stable source of income through the sale of high-quality honey. 

Debunking the Model Minority Myth Panel

Linda Chin, President Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence
ATASK primarily serves Asian families and individuals in Massachusetts and New England who suffer from or are at risk of suffering from domestic violence. Clients include a range of Asian ethnic populations. ATASK embraces and represents all ages, cultures, abilities, and sexual preferences.

Scot Nakagawa, Senior Partner Change Lab
ChangeLab is a grassroots political lab that explores structural solutions to achieve racial justice. We conduct research, convene people across sectors, develop movement-building tools, and provide platforms for dialogue, analysis, and strategy building.

Cristal Montañéz Baylor, Executive Director Hashoo Foundation USA
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. Our mission is to enable and empower communities to be independent by facilitating equitable access to opportunities.