Helping women in the  developing world to thrive

All her life, Gabisile Mabena, 39, a rural South African woman with a smile that is full of pride, has been struggling in poverty. She lives in a squatter camp with her three children, ages 4, 11, and 19, and a partner. They survive on small government grants and her partner’s short-term jobs.

But in 2022, Mabena joined a program that teaches women how to keep beehives and launch their own businesses selling the honey. She is part of the Ubuntu Beekeeping Initiative, one of the dozens of women’s empowerment programs in the developing world run by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), the leading global Jewish humanitarian organization.

“Beekeeping is changing my life because I can support my family. If I go through with beekeeping, I can go far,” says Mabena as she points out the beehives she tends.” I have learned so much from this program. It allows me to earn income but also to build my confidence and show my children that I can care for them.” 

In addition to its 110-plus-year track record of saving Jewish lives and building Jewish life in scores of countries, JDC also leads the Jewish community’s response to disasters and international development crises worldwide. This includes bringing its Jewish humanitarian values and expertise to address slow-moving crises such as endemic poverty, food insecurity, and lack of healthcare.

Today, women comprise 70 percent of the 1.3 billion people living in conditions of poverty. When these women have access to education, employment opportunities, financial resources, and healthcare, they are empowered to make decisions about their own lives and advocate for their families and communities. This is especially true in the developing world, where women put nearly 90 percent of their earnings into their households and communities, investing in education and nutrition.

To help women advance themselves and those around them, JDC deploys humanitarian interventions, philanthropy, and Israeli tech innovation; forwards sustainable development goals; and partners with local NGOs and Jewish communities who are invested in supporting their neighbors.

JDC’s Ubuntu Beekeeping Initiative in rural South Africa teaches women the business of beekeeping, providing a sustainable model to change the conditions and course of their lives and, by extension, help their families and communities.

Working with local partners, the NGO Ripples for Change and Mensch, a Jewish community organization, JDC provides the equipment, training, mentorship, and access to markets.. The program’s name, Ubuntu, is Zulu for “I am because you are,” reflecting the communal impact of this initiative.

“Everyone in the bee kingdom has got a critical role. If one doesn’t do their role, then the hive is not going to be successful. This happens as well in society,” says Lulu Letlape, a program mentor. “Women are the key building blocks in society. By training one woman, you improve the livelihood of an entire community.”

In just two years since the Ubuntu Beekeeping Initiative launched, 143 women are learning the skill of beekeeping at 11 locations, and they have established 1,052 hives. They are developing marketing, sales, and financial acumen with guidance from program mentors. And beyond using their hives for honey production, the women are renting them out to farmers to encourage bee pollination of crops.

JDC’s beekeeping program also provides opportunities to involve South African Jewish communities in addressing critical local needs. For example, more than 2,000 jars of kosher honey were purchased from the Ubuntu beekeepers for Rosh Hashanah this year.

With their rising incomes, these women pay school fees for their children, purchase items from vendors in their communities, and pay for healthcare, enabling them to realize their dreams for a better future.

In the Minjar region of Ethiopia, Tihetena Hiailu holds a brightly colored umbrella to shield her baby daughter, swaddled on her back, from the beating sun as she admires her now-thriving farm plot rich with produce to feed her family and sell at the market. The transformation from a struggling to flourishing farm was made possible through JDC’s TOV agricultural development program, which gives Hiailu access to resources to make advances in her farm and her life.

Ethiopia is plagued with recurring droughts and soil degradation and has limited access to modern, sustainable farming methods. More than 80% of the country’s agricultural production comes from farmers with small plots of land, and most still use traditional practices, living on less than $2 per day. Women farmers face added challenges of caregiving responsibilities, lack of land ownership, and restrictive gender roles.

Launched by JDC in 2018 in partnership with the Israeli Ministry of Economy and Industry, TOV helps Ethiopian small farmers increase their crop yield and income. The program brings Israeli technology such as drip irrigation, hybrid seeds, and digital finance tools along with training and agronomic know-how, as well as access to low-interest loans, subsidies, and market linkages, all supported by Jewish philanthropy. 

Hiailu joined TOV in 2022 and was given personalized guidance and a low-interest loan to make major improvements to her plot of land, which is less than three quarters of an acre. She installed an Israeli drip irrigation system to water her crops of garlic, carrots, and beetroots, replacing the traditional furrow methods, which wasted precious water due to overwatering.

Now with a flourishing farm plot, Hiailu is earning seven times more than her previous income. With this higher income, she already paid off her loan used to purchase farm materials, expanded the drip system, and began using high-quality hybrid seeds developed in Israel to further increase her yield.

“The TOV program is helping me plan ahead to give my daughter a better life,” said Hiailu.

JDC’s TOV helps farmers earn three times or more than the average income. This is especially impactful for women who use their increased income to put healthier food on their tables, send their daughters to school, expand their farms, and build houses for their families.

In a country grappling with continuous crises, Haitian women are known as the “poto mitan,” the central pillars of the family and community. However, when it comes to healthcare, they are the most underserved and at-risk members of society. Haiti has the highest mortality rates in the western hemisphere for pregnant women and infants.

JDC works in Haiti with Partners in Health, a global health organization, and its sister organization, Zanmi Lasante, on a range of programs. In addition to providing essential healthcare and responding to disease outbreaks, an innovative program gives women and their babies constant care and support throughout pregnancy and the first years of the children’s lives.

Roselande Germinal and her now toddler daughter, Celestine, received lifesaving care through this mother and baby program that is supported by JDC. “Two years ago, I was going through a stressful time. This lasted while I was pregnant and even after giving birth,” says Germinal. “They helped me save my baby’s life, and mine too.”

Groups of 10-15 pregnant women are paired with a hospital-based clinical caseworker who accompanies them from their prenatal care through pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum periods, while also providing home visits.

During Germinal’s prenatal healthcare, the staff recommended that she see the psychologist. “We found that I was dealing with depression. Without his help, I could have ended up with eclampsia after giving birth, which would endanger both my life and the life of my baby.”

Germinal had regular support sessions with the psychologist. “I put into practice what he told me. Even though times aren’t always easy, I definitely feel different.” 

With these crucial healthcare interventions, JDC is helping to change the survival rates of vulnerable mothers and their children and ensure that women are indeed pillars of strength for families and communities.

JDC’s humanitarian work in Haiti includes long-term responses to the 2010 and 2021 earthquakes and Hurricane Matthew in 2016. In addition to providing emergency needs – food, water, and medical care – JDC has engaged in programs impacting hundreds of thousands of people by addressing women and children’s health; caring for people with disabilities; employment; rebuilding infrastructure like schools and hospitals; disaster preparedness; and bolstering social service leadership and local nonprofits.

JDC’s disaster relief and international development initiatives are funded by special appeals of the Jewish Federations and tens of thousands of individual donors, foundations, families, and businesses.

“At the heart of our nonsectarian work is the Jewish community’s ongoing commitment to ensure our most vulnerable neighbors are resilient and can thrive. By tapping into the potential of women in developing countries with training, tools, and health support, we’re empowering them to transform the fate of their families and communities for generations and repairing our world in the process,” said JDC CEO Ariel Zwang.

This article appears in cooperation with JDC.