As charcoal production continues to deforest Haiti’s countryside, projects such as these are not only helping to create a means of income and provide a sustainable product, but they are also critical to the health of the environment.

It is reported that only 2% of Haiti’s forest cover is intact. Beekeeping teaches those involved that the environment is more valuable when intact than when turned into charcoal briquettes.The women who are trained in beekeeping by Haiti Projects take care of their hives in a group with other women in their neighborhood. They decide what they want to do with the honey they produce and the byproducts of beekeeping (wax, propyls, etc.). Hibiscus, Campeche, and Grapefruit make up the local vegetarion. That gives the honey a unique flavor making it a very desirable commodity. They can sell their honey in the local market and reinvest in more hives, use their honey for personal consumption, make candles or soap with the wax, and/or sell the wax.