At one of the many stalls we run in the Midlands, LUCIA was approached by a very nice lady who keeps bees. The lady in question has since enquired about the possibility of her beekeeping club supporting a beehive. Perhaps there are other kind, generous beekeepers out there who may wish to join in?

I've visited Ethiopia four out of the last five years (at my own expense) since the charity was founded in 2004/5, and every time I go I'm amazed at the women's ability to work with determination and their will-power to survive against tremendous hardships. I try to visit as many of the projects that LUCIA supports as I can, and I have had the good fortune to meet a lady who keeps a beehive that was sponsored by us.

It would only be fair for me to tell you I know nothing about bees, except that people who keep them usually wear a lot of protective clothes and nets. This lady only had on a thin cotton dress and she was happy to take me round her Tukul (mud hut) to the hive, to meet what she said were her best friends whom she loved. I did not feel the same. I asked if she was afraid of being stung. She dismissed the idea of being stung as a problem because through the hive she could now usually feed her family three meals per day thanks to the bees. She sold the honey at the market and, as the Ethiopia beer 'Teg' is made from honey, there always seems to be a market.

Although LUCIA supports 320 women in many different projects at the moment, we only have one beehive project. If you and your club would like to help sponsor, buy or just give a little support for another hive, we would be most grateful. Perhaps together we can make a life-changing experience for another family in Ethiopia.