When Isatu’s husband died from Ebola, she was left to raise her children alone in Liberia, where many families have lost parents to war and disease.
The Samaritan’s Purse RECAL program (Rebuilding Ebola-Affected Communities Through Agriculture and Livelihood) introduced Isatu’s village to beekeeping as a sustainable income source. We trained Isatu in beekeeping basics and supplied her with five sturdy apiaries and essential tools.
Income from honey sales now covers Isatu’s daily expenses, her children’s schooling, and home repairs. Inspired by her success, neighbours are also eager to start their own hives. Through RECAL, vulnerable families in Lofa and River Gee counties are gaining vital skills for sustainable livelihoods.
Initially, some villagers resisted the idea of beekeeping. As a Samaritan’s Purse staff member shared, “When I told the community about beekeeping, they said, ‘What? You want to kill our children?’”
Today, honey sales from the beehives help support families. Before this project, locals harvested honey but saw bees as pests to be burned. Now, beekeeping has transformed lives, including that of resident Jusu.
Amid Liberia’s conflicts, Jusu endured severe hardships, including witnessing his mother’s tragic death. While recovering from these traumas and the impact of Ebola, beekeeping provided him with emotional, spiritual, and financial stability.
Last year he was able to harvest seven gallons of honey from his five hives, which he started with the materials and training provided by Samaritan’s Purse. He says it’s more money than he’s ever had.
“I know how to get money now and put my kids through school,” Jusu said. “I can feed my family.”
Jusu has begun to teach his village the things he has learned from the program so that they can become beekeepers as well. As a part of the RECAL program, Samaritan’s Purse staff trains the villagers, and in turn they train others in order to engage their community in the work.
The project has significantly influenced Jusu’s spiritual life as well: “I’ve learned that God is there. He comforts us, and we can trust in God.”
Please pray for the people of Liberia as they continue to recover from the tragedies of war and Ebola and for Samaritan’s Purse as we seek to serve them in Jesus’ Name.
Your gift today to our livelihoods projects, like beekeeping and sustainable farming helps restores joy to families in developing countries by giving them tools and education to provide an income for their families. Please prayerfully consider choosing one of the gifts below to provide hope to those in need this Christmas.
Your gift of $20 will provide a hive, equipment and training for a new beekeeper in countries like Cambodia, Kenya, and Iraq.
Your gift of $10 provides a family with a dozen chicks, a coop and basic veterinary care so they’ll have eggs to eat or sell for years to come.
Your $55 gift helps provide families with seeds, tools, training, and the hope of an abundant spiritual harvest in Christ.
*Names changed for security reasons.