United Nations Development Programme Jamaica

(Bee hives delivered by the RUYE project to Grant's Mountain Sunshine youth club; June 2011; Grant's Mountain, St. Ann, Jamaica. Photo RUYE)

15 young adults from the Grant's Mountain Sunshine youth club, St. Ann, and 40 youth from the Llandewey beekeping group were excited recipients of a total of 275 bee hives from the Rural Youth Employment Project (RUYE).

With three apiaries and a considerable amount of technical skills gained these proud young farmers are in the process of being fully enabled to launch their business in honey production: A challenge totally in line with the objectives pursued by the RUYE project in Rural Jamaica.

The Beekeeping youth Group in Llandewey, St. Thomas and the Grant's Mountain Sunshine youth club, in St. Ann are beneficiaries of the RUYE project's initiatives, focused on enabling youth with both the knowledge and tools to start a business in Agriculture.

"There is evidently a great feeling of accomplishment coming from the youth in Llandewey and Grant's Mountain. The beekeeping business they have embarked on now offers a lucrative option to unemployment which many of them faced. The prospect of earning their living through honey production is now a reality "said Ms. Ruth Simpson, RUYE project manager.

Further to being equipped with the beehives, the youth group members have completed the first phase of a practical training in bee management, and received training in Human Relations and Business Development.

"The young people are very happy and are looking forward to receiving their bees. The bee hives have brought a difference in their lives" stated Mr. Curzan Simpson, the group leader of the Llandewey beekeeping group, describing what has been happening in his community since they received the equipment.

The original idea for the Llandewey beekeeping group was that each member would receive five boxes of bees. They in turn would, after two years, return a hive to the group so that new people would benefit. Instead the group showed an incredible generosity towards its community members by involving them from the beginning. Every group member agreed to put aside a box, permitting in this way to allow another 18 youth from Llandewey to start benefitting immediately from the knowledge and the tools they have already gained thanks the RUYE project.

The Rural Youth Employment Project (RUYE) is a 3-year initiative being implemented by the Scientific Research Council (SRC) with funding from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The project which officially started in January 2010, will end in December 2012. It specifically targets young persons in the rural parishes of Manchester, Trelawny, St. Ann and St. Thomas aiming to improve the quality of life of disadvantaged youths aged 15-29 in rural Jamaica. The project seeks to strengthen rural youths' capacity to capitalize on income generation opportunities in a sustainable manner through profitable agricultural or agro-processing enterprises.

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More information available on:

Scientific Research Council web site

The Rural Youth Employment Project

The Rural Youth Employment Project's Bulletin

In Focus:

Career day in Agriculture: an interview with St. Thomas youth