Evas Natukunda has been a beekeeper since 2022. After completing training as a medical assistant, she spent six years at home without work. This is because the number of graduates far exceeded the available opportunities. Eventually, she decided to embrace beekeeping as a new path.

“I failed to get a job as a medical assistant because the graduates were very many compared to the available jobs”, She said.

Her turning point came when a friend invited her to join a beekeeping association. She was given three bee hives and later introduced to Bunyangabu Beekeepers’ Cooperative (BBC), where she trained in apiary.

“I learnt how to keep bees and how to make hives. I do not fear bees anymore,” she says.

As she continued learning, Evas heard about the WeWork – Green and Decent Jobs for Youth project, implemented by Ile de Paix and Enabel with funding from the European Union and the Government of Belgium. She applied, was selected, and went on to attend a one‑week bootcamp.

Before the bootcamp, Evas had 25 bee hives, with a dream of owing 100 hives within a year. Evas managed 25 beehives and dreamed of expanding to 100 within a year. By the time of this interview, she had already reached 92 hives, 66 of which were colonized. She makes local hives from bamboo and has also built Kenya Top Bar (KTB) hives. These are semi-modern bee hives designed to bridge the gap between primitive, traditional hives and expensive, fully framed industrial boxes. After completing the bootcamp, which every project participant undertakes, Evas added 35 more KTB hives to her enterprise.

“I became more motivated after the bootcamp because I learnt about diversification, investment, marketing and how to sell honey to different buyers,” she says.

Her business has also grown beyond one customer. She now sells honey to both BBC and Bulalo Foundation, a market connection she accessed through the project. In addition, she keeps records of her sales and plans to continue expanding. She currently has three apiaries: one on her father’s land and two on her own land in Karugutu, along the Fort Portal-Bundibugyo road  in Western Uganda.

She expects her next harvest season to bring better earnings and hopes to eventually buy more land through the income from beekeeping.

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