The Gift of Honeybees

This is Feliciana Martin, a small-scale coffee farmer. Her one-acre farm barely supported her and her daughter. But in 2012, she received a gift of honeybees from Heifer International.

Since then, Feliciana has seen a noticeable increase in her coffee harvest. (Improving pollination will often increase crop yields by 200-300%.) What’s more, the bees themselves are the thriving business. Within six months of getting her bees, Feliciana had collected 60 pounds of honey and doubled her hives.
In the years since, Feliciana has trained other community members on the proper care of bees, and given them hives, helping them toward financial independence.

This is what Heifer does. Feliciana has gone from being someone who needed help, to being a person who is able to help others. This is called “Passing on the Gift,” and it’s a core part of Heifer’s work. When you donate, it doesn’t only change a family forever, it moves through a community like a shockwave, spreading good for generations…

Feliciana used to dream of a better life for her daughter. Now, with more reliable income she can use for food, medicine, and schooling, that dream is a reality.