Guerlain is strengthening its bee protection program through a female beekeeping entrepreneurship initiative.

A five year program

Supported by the Observatoire Français d’Apidologie, Women for Bees takes the form of a training operation which this year will allow ten women based in five biosphere reserves to benefit from an accelerated 30-day apprenticeship in the theory and to beekeeping practices. Launched on June 21, 2021, the initiative is intended to last five years and thus intends to train 50 beekeepers around the world by 2025. In addition to the creation of a professional network, the program also focuses on the construction of 2,500 hives in the next five years.

a vital and socially beneficial project

Embodied by American actress, filmmaker and activist Angelina Jolie, Women for Bees aims to contribute to the repopulation of bees while nurturing long-term social goals. “The 50 women who will have graduated will have been trained and supported in setting up their own beekeeping operations while participating in a vital and socially beneficial project,” the stakeholders said in a statement. “Beekeeping can generate income for poor rural people and improve food security in areas where agricultural production is minimal.” During the first two years of the programme, relevant biosphere reserves were identified in Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Ethiopia, France, Italy, Russia, Rwanda and Slovenia.

Anjelina Jolie, the face of Maison Guerlain

Angelina Jolie, the face of Maison Guerlain and Godmother of the class of 2021, will meet the beekeepers and follow their progress throughout this first year. She says, “When women acquire skills and knowledge, their instinct drives them to help others uplift themselves.” In 2003, in Cambodia, Angelina Jolie created the MJP Foundation dedicated to the reduction of extreme rural poverty, the preservation of the environment and the conservation of fauna and flora. It was in Cambodia, in 2016, that the partnership between Angelina Jolie and Guerlain was born. She declares: “Guerlain is genuinely committed to sustainable development and the communities with which it interacts. This is what brought us together and “Women for Bees” is a perfect example. »

https://en.unesco.org/themes/biodiversity/women-for-bees