About this project
The BeeHome Project is a community-based project designed to promote regenerative beekeeping practices among rural youth in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. The project recognises that unsustainable honey harvesting practices, such as the use of fire and chemicals, are not only destroying bee colonies but also degrading forest ecosystems, threatening biodiversity, and diminishing agricultural productivity due to reduced pollination services. At the same time, rural youth in this agrarian region face limited livelihood opportunities, with many depending on subsistence farming in a state ranked among Nigeria’s poorest.
The BeeHome Project seeks to empower rural youth with the knowledge, skills, and resources to practice modern, sustainable beekeeping as both an ecological and economic solution. Over the project’s 8-month implementation period, five youth beneficiaries, selected from the Azuinyaba community's, will undergo intensive hands-on training at a reputable beekeeping institution. The training will cover apiary management, honey and wax harvesting, bee health, and the development of pollinator-friendly environments.
Following training, each beneficiary will receive modern beehives, starter bee colonies, and basic beekeeping equipment. Installation will be supported by project staff and local labour, ensuring the creation of safe, permanent “bee homes” that replace destructive traditional harvesting methods. In parallel, the project will establish small pollinator gardens near the hives to enhance bee foraging resources and biodiversity.
A robust conservation education component will complement the livelihood intervention. School outreach programs will introduce students to the ecological importance of bees, the link between pollinators and food security, and the need for responsible environmental stewardship. Community sensitization sessions will engage men, women, and local leaders in discussions on sustainable honey harvesting, biodiversity conservation, and climate resilience. These activities will help shift community attitudes, reduce destructive practices, and build widespread support for pollinator protection.
The BeeHome Project’s sustainability strategy centers on cooperative development. Beneficiaries will be supported to form a youth beekeepers’ network enabling shared learning, joint marketing of bee products, and collective problem-solving.
By integrating ecological restoration with income generation, the BeeHome Project aims to deliver long-term, multi-dimensional benefits: the protection of pollinators and their habitats, the diversification of rural livelihoods, and the strengthening of community resilence.
Goals and Objectives
The overall goal of the BeeHome Project is to promote sustainable beekeeping practices by empowering rural youth with the skills and tools to establish modern beehives that serve as both safe homes for bees and sustainable sources of income in Azuinyaba community in Ebonyi State Nigeria. Specifically, the project aims to:
i) Foster appreciation and understanding of the vital role of bees and the ecosystems they sustain.
ii) Create safe homes for bees through the installation of modern beehives.
iii) Reduce ecological risks from fire and chemical-based honey harvesting practices.
iv) Support rural youth livelihoods through modern beekeeping and entrepreneurial training.
v) Strengthen community-based governance and local knowledge for sustainable harvesting of honey and other bee products.
Beneficiaries
The direct beneficiaries are youth aged 15 to 35 years. This group often has limited economic opportunities and are most actively engaged in destructive honey hunting. They will benefit through education, skills development, and livelihood support.
Indirect beneficiaries include all demographic groups in the target villages, men, women, and elders, who will gain from conservation literacy, improved environmental health, increased honey availability, food security, and new economic opportunities.
Sustainability and Scalability:
Beehives will be installed on beneficiaries’ land, encouraging ownership and responsibility for management. Participants will be organized into a youth beekeeping network to promote peer learning, joint problem-solving, and collective decision-making, meeting at least twice during the project. Through a train-the-trainer approach, each trained youth will mentor at least one new beekeeper in the community.
With its strong foundation for sustainability and scalability, the BeeHome Project has potential for replication in other communities across Ebonyi State and beyond.
Expected result
The BeeHome Project will deliver four measurable outcomes within an 8-month implementation period, advancing biodiversity conservation (SDG 15) and reducing ecological risks in Ebonyi State.
i) Increased awareness and behavioural change on pollinator protection
Within the first five months, at least 3,000 community members will be sensitized on the ecological importance of bees and it's conservation through school visits and public education outreaches. Knowledge gained will be assessed using attendance records, pre/post-session surveys, and feedback forms.
ii) Enhanced biodiversity and ecosystem services
By month five, 5 modern beehives and pollinator gardens will be installed and maintained across the target villages. Monthly monitoring will track pollinator activity, plant survival rates, and hive productivity.
iii) Reduced ecological risks from destructive honey harvesting
By month six, the project aims to achieve a 60% reduction in fire- and chemical-based honey harvesting in Azuinyaba through direct training, awareness campaigns, and provision of modern beekeeping tools. Progress will be monitored through surveys, community incident reports, and interviews with local stakeholders.
iv) Improved youth livelihoods and entrepreneurship
By the end of 16 months, 5 rural youth beneficiaries (at least 30% female) will have established and operated their own beekeeping enterprises, harvested their first batch of honey, and sold it in local markets. Success will be tracked by production records, sales figures, and beneficiary progress reports.
About me / organisation
Chijindu Nworie
1. Chijindu Nworie – Project Manager
Chijindu Nworie is an undergraduate student at Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State, Nigeria. She has a strong interest in building community resilience through nature-based solutions and has been actively involved in youth-led environmental initiatives, including community clean-ups and school outreaches. She has demonstrated strong organizational and communication skills in mobilizing local communities.
Chijindu has led various climate action initiatives, such as conservation education programs under the Promoting Biodiversity and Species Survival (PBASS) Initiative, where she supervised awareness outreaches and engaged key community stakeholders, including traditional leaders and elders in discussions on sustainable forest management.
2. Constance Amarachi Ekechi – Technical Advisor
Constance Ekechi is the Founder of the Earth Care and Community Development Foundation, a newly registered youth-led nonprofit organization in Nigeria committed to building climate-resilient communities through nature-based solutions, agroecological livelihoods, and food security. She has over five years of experience in conservation education, grassroots project management, and multi-stakeholder collaboration.
Constance currently coordinates the PBASS Initiative which focuses on reducing forest degradation, promoting ecosystem restoration, and empowering forest-edge communities with conservation knowledge. Her prior roles include Conservation Education Assistant and Livelihood Assistant with the Wildlife Conservation Society (2023–2024) and Ebonyi Community Volunteer Manager for SustyVibes (2022–2025).
She has designed and implemented multiple community-led projects, gaining practical expertise in mobilizing rural stakeholders, delivering environmental education, and managing small grants.