Iltubula

Lately in our spare time, we've been helping a local self-help group get up and running. They are the Iltubula Bee-Keeping Self-Help Group from Oletukat, Kenya.

This group is formed within a close knit community of Maasai just outside of Narok who are attempting to eradicate poverty through bee-keeping. They recently lost over half of their cattle (wealth) during the last drought. In an effort to diversity their portfolio, they are now going to keep bees.

As most of you know, we work in the Mara River Basin. Well, Oletukat is not in the Mara River Basin. Also...as most of you know, we work on water. Bees really don't have much to do with water other than their need for it like most animals. We also know nothing of bees...other than what we learned while being attacked by Killer Bees in the Masai Mara during one of our sampling trips last year (we survived with over 40 stings each!).

Oletukat is very close to Narok and we have been touched by the generosity and spirit of this community. We don't have much money so we can't sponsor them but we are helping by volunteering in our spare time. One of the things we did...we helped them start a webpage...check it out here and follow their progress.

This is Timothy, their Chairman.

This is the group in front of one of their bee hives.