Apimondia appeal in support of beekeepers in Haiti

Prot. no. 1135 Rome, 11 June 2010

Dear All,

Haiti is a Caribbean nation of 9 million people, sharing the island of
Hispaniola with neighbouring Dominican Republic. According to United Nations
data, Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

On 12 January this year, Haiti suffered a catastrophic earthquake of
magnitude 7.0, with the epicentre in the most populated part of the country,
25 km (16 miles) west of the capital city Port-au-Prince. Around 100,000
people lost their lives, while countless more lost their homes and
possessions.

Bee hives in Haiti are made from the hollow trunks of palm trees.
Beekeepers in Haiti have been successfully keeping bees this way for a long
time, perhaps since Spanish or French explorers first introduced bees 500
years ago. Today, Haiti¹s bee populations are apparently healthy, with empty
hives readily occupied by bees from the wild honey bee population.
Varroa is present.

Apimondia is raising funds to support beekeepers in Haiti to rebuild their
lives after the devastating earthquake. Any funds that you can give will be
sent direct to beekeepers in Haiti, to support them as they rebuild their
lives.

Apimondia is working with Bees for Development Trust to raise funds for this
appeal. Please go to <http://www.justgiving.com/Haitibeekeepers> if you can
help.

Thank you.

With kind regards.

Riccardo Jannoni-Sebastianini
Apimondia Secretary-General
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The pictures shown here are kindly provided by Bo Sterk of Florida, who is
assisting us with this appeal. All pictures Bo Sterk