HOUSTON STUDENTS HELP WOMEN BEEKEEPERS REBUILD THEIR LIVES

Houston, Texas.- Students from Klein Forest High School’s Pakistani Indian Student Association (PISA) partnered with the Hashoo Foundation to help women beekeepers who lost their beehives –their only source of income- to the devastating floods in Pakistan. The students donated new beehives to help the beekeepers rebuild their honey business and income generating enterprise.

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Beehives damaged by the floods

PISA raised $5,000 during their charity show for the flood relief efforts in Pakistan. The students adopted 16 women beekeepers from the villages of Danyore, Mohammad Abad, and Sultanabad, and replaced 53 of their damaged beehives with new ones. The new beehives will increase the beekeeper’s capacity, help them kick-start their honey producing business, and allow them to the fill orders placed by the hotels and grocery stores for the last quarter of 2011. The beekeepers are part of the Women’s Empowerment through Honey Bee Farming Project Plan Bee in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Sana and Christy performing during the PISA charity show at Klein Forest High School

Hashoo Foundation initiated the Women’s Empowerment through Honey Bee Farming Project Plan Bee in 2007, to empower women in the Northern Areas of Pakistan by expanding employment opportunities and providing a sustainable source of income through the sale of high-quality honey. The project is based on a system of social barter, designed to promote social change. Hashoo Foundation agrees to buy the women beekeepers' honey at market price and successfully links them to the lucrative markets of 5-star hotels and grocery stores in Pakistan, provided that the families agree to send their children to quality schools provide them with regular health check-ups and improve nutrition at home.

Beekeepers from the villages of Danyore, Mohammad Abad, and Sultanabad

"I am super excited that all our hard work is actually accomplishing something significant and that we are meeting the goal we set every year, which is to help others. I am so excited about our partnership with the Hashoo Foundation, and that we have the opportunity to improve the lives of the people of Danyore, Mohammad Abad, and Sultanabad. I think that is what PISA is all about: helping the world to be a better place," Jasleen Talwar, a PISA student

Hashoo Foundation team in Gilgit delivering the new beehives donated by PISA

“The Plan Bee Project is a great way to reach out and make a real difference in the lives of people! It has allowed us to use the money from our charity show to make areal and visible difference in our sponsored villages. I am proud to have been a part of such a wonderful project." Firza Jawaid, PISA student.

Making a Tangible and Measurable Difference in the Beekeepers Lives

“The student’s financial contribution provided each of the 16 beekeeper with 3-4 beehives depending on their individual situation. Under normal weather conditions, we expect three to four harvests per year. A beehive is expected to produce 16-18 Kg. of honey per year. In this particular project, each beekeeper should produce 4 Kg. per beehive in October during the last harvest of this year. The overall projected production for the new beehives is 212 Kg. and Hashoo Foundation is committed to buy the honey at the market price of $4.00 per Kg. The income the beekeepers earn from the sale of honey will enable these beekeepers to send 54 school-age children back to quality schools. 117 dependents will be indirectly impacted,” informed Kamal Uddin, Hashoo Foundation’s Enterprise Development Officer.

Close up of one of the new beehives donated by PISA

According to Cristal Montañéz Baylor, Executive Director of the Hashoo Foundation, “The beehives donated by PISA are making a tangible and measurable difference in the beekeepers lives. The students’ financial contribution was much needed and their commitment and compassion to help rebuild the beekeepers honey enterprise is very commendable.”

PISA’s Contribution is Making the World a Better Place

Village Danyore

38 beehives were distributed to 12 beekeepers
90 indirectly impacted dependents
45 children will be able to return to school
152+ Kg. of honey expected to be harvest on October 2011

Village of Sultanabad

8 beehives were distributed to 2 beekeepers
16 indirectly impacted dependents
5 children will be able to return to school
28+ Kg. of honey expected to be harvest on October 2011

Village of Mohammad Abad

7 beehives were distributed to 2 beekeepers
11 indirectly impacted dependents
4 children will be able to return to school
36+ Kg. of honey expected to be harvest on October 2011

Hashoo Foundation team in Gilgit delivering the new beehives donated by PISA

Dr. Norman J. LaFave is Klein Forest High School PISA Sponsor and Advisor. When asked about the student’s decision to partner with the Hashoo Foundation, he stated “it is a pleasure to see the efforts of my kids support such a wonderful cause. The adoption of the villages of Danyore, Mohammad Abad, and Sultanabad through Plan Bee has allowed the students to make a real difference in the lives of people. It is something they can be proud of and remember with pride as they go forward with their lives".

PISA’s beneficiary working in the field

"We are very thankful to have given the funds from our charity show to the Hashoo Foundation. We are pleased that Ms. Cristal Montañéz Baylor gave us this opportunity to help the women of Northern Pakistan," Hythum Moqbel, PISA President.

There are several villages that need help. Hashoo Foundation USA encourages schools, organizations and individuals to replicate PISA’s project by adopting a devastated village. Every $106 raised will buy a new beehive and help the beekeepers generate a stable income to support themselves and their dependents. See assessment report…

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