United Nations Development Programme Jamaica

  (Young Bee farmers from the Llandewey Beekeeping Youth Group in action; Albion, St. Thomas, Jamaica; November 11, 2011. Photo UNDP Jamaica/Laura Raccio)

On November 11th, 2011, across the planet, an incredible number of persons recorded the human experience over a 24-hour period and contributed their voice to the second annual global day of media creation called One Day on Earth.

In Jamaica UNDP participated by filming one of its initiatives in Poverty Reduction: The Beekeeping youth group in Llandewey-St. Thomas Parish, Jamaica, a component of the Rural Youth Employment Project.

The Beekeeping Group in Llandewey, St. Thomas is one of the Rural Youth Employment Project (RUYE) project's initiatives. Young bee farmers are in the process of being fully enabled to launch their business in honey production - a challenge totally in line with the objectives of the RUYE project to facilitate sustainable livelihoods among youth in rural Jamaica. The Llandewey group is focused on creating an enterprise specialized in honey production. The project provides theoretical and practical training after which group members receive the required professional equipment. In this way group members are enabled with both knowledge and tools to start their business. The Llandewey group has 40 members, 36 youths and 4 adults.

The Rural Youth Employment Project (RUYE) is a 3-year US$1,000,000 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.

Watch the pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/undpjamaica/sets/72157628185584835/

Watch the best videos: http://www.youtube.com/undpjamaicatv#g/c/288A24870AC1A93B

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