Nabiha Asefa: A Journey of Empowerment Through Beekeeping and Agriculture
We are sharing Nabiha Asefa’s story, a 32-year-old married beekeeper and mother of three children living in the Masha Mekdela wereda, Kibtiya, kebele 03 Abawasu Got.
Nebiha Asefa at her apiary site monitoring the colony, July 20, 2025
My beekeeping journey began about ten years ago when an organization called Ameld approached me. They gave us a modern beehive, protective clothing, and 1,100 birr back in 2015. I took a leap of faith, hoping it might help my family, though I didn’t fully understand the opportunities it would bring.
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እንኳን ለ2018 አዲስ ዓመት አደረሳችሁ!!
ዓለማየሁ ዋሴ (ፒኤች.ዲ)
የአመልድ ኢትዮጵያ ዋና ዳይሬክተር
Happy Ethiopian New Year 2018 !
Alemayehu Wassie (Ph.D)
Executive Director, ORDA Ethiopia
“I couldn’t have done this without their support.” W/ro Asefu Melese
In the rugged highlands of Beyeda woreda, Selewa Kebele, W/ro Asefu Melese, a 27-year-old mother, once faced the daily hardship of feeding her son with no land, no income, and no clear path forward. But in March 2023, the RELIVES project—supported by ADA and implemented by ORDA Ethiopia—became a turning point in her life.
Through RELIVES, W/ro Asefu joined the Mushraw Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) and began saving just 30 Birr per month. Her determination led her to engage in multi-dimensional training sessions provided by the project. These included:
The Sweet Synergy: Successful Fruit and Beekeeping Interventions
Lubaba Hasen and Adem Mohammed are a couple living in Kelo Kebele of Bati Woreda in the Amhara region with their seven children. After a short visit to their backyard apiary site, the couple led us—along with Ayalew, Program Officer from thepartner organization PHE, our translator Getu, and me—to their new beekeeping site.
Their voices filled with excitement as they spoke about relocating there soon. Kelo Kebele, where Adem and Lubaba live, is one of the MaYEA program’s target areas under the Debre Birhan cluster of Bati Woreda.
The walk from their home to the farmland takes about 30 minutes, and along theway, I noticed several Mango trees. Suddenly, I paused to ask, “How long does it take for a Mango tree to bear fruit?” Read more
The courage to overcome challenges
W/ro Alemsira Habtamu, a 24-year-old married woman from Sankit Kebele in the Banja district of the Awi Zone, Amhara Region, faced significant challenges after graduating with a diploma in accounting. Living with her husband, a school teacher, and their child, she struggled with the lack of employment opportunities in her field. The rising costs of living put pressure on their family finances. Despite her attempt to start a micro tea and coffee business, it didn’t yield the expected results.