Maison L’Arc-en-Ciel: A Sustainable Dream “Bee-coming a Reality

Finally, after a long period of turmoil last fall and struggles to find a source of honey bees in Haiti, beehives have been implemented on site at Maison L’Arc-en-Ciel and are producing some honey! Last week, a trained beekeeping technician came for a visit to L’Arc-en-Ciel to deliver the hives, install them with the staff, and then educated the children about beekeeping, and how to live in harmony with the hives. This training also included technical training of the staff members on use of equipment and monitoring of the colonies’ health. While only three hives have been implement thus far, we have plans to add dozens more over the next two year as to create the Maison L’Arc-en-Ciel Apiary, which would have the potential to produce hundreds of pounds of honey and beeswax annually, which can be sold at local grocers and markets. The wax will be used, by the children, to create candles and related products that can be added to MAEC’s portfolio of handmade farm products which will be marketed, sold, and imported into the United States as the project progresses.

As the staff and children become more comfortable with the hives, and has more hives are added, Maison L’Arc-en-Ciel will become a location where other members of the community can come and learn about the dire importance of beekeeping and the impact bees can have on the local agriculture. By providing an educational experience for visitors, the children at L’Arc-en-Ciel will become much more environmentally educated and be able to share this knowledge of preservation and improvement of the local climate at their schools and at other community events, which can be hosted eventually on site at the orphanage. With a potential partnership with Wynne Farm Environmental Preserve in Kenscoff, we can help make this region of Haiti a new apiary hub and environmental education centerpiece of a country which lacks general understanding of the importance of taking care of the environment.

If you would like to learn more about the project, or sponsor a hive of your own on the property, please visit our website at www.HoneyforHaiti.org, and send us an email at honeyforhaiti@gmail.com. Help us BEE the change at Maison L’Arc-en-Ciel d’Haiti and get involved today!