Creating new employment opportunities for persons with disabilities is one of the objectives of the project “If Beekeeping Were Easy, Everyone Would Be a Beekeeper” that was carried out in the Municipality of Nevesinje.

Over the course of this seven-month project, implemented by the Multiple Sclerosis Association of the East Herzegovina Region in partnership with the Beekeepers’ Association of the Municipality of Nevesinje, a series of educational and practical workshops on beekeeping and the production of bee-based products were organised. The aim of these activities was to equip persons with disabilities with new knowledge and practical skills to independently produce these products, thereby opening up opportunities for additional income and greater economic independence.

To ensure that the knowledge acquired through the project could also be applied in practice, 10 beehives with bee colonies were provided, enabling persons with disabilities to receive practical training in beekeeping. Following the completion of the project, the Association will allocate the beehives and bee colonies to persons with disabilities living in rural areas of Nevesinje, giving them an opportunity to continue applying the knowledge they have gained and potentially generate additional income through beekeeping.

“Our goal is to improve the position of persons with disabilities in Nevesinje and make them more visible and active members of the community. We want to train them to work with bees and bee products so that they can be independent and earn an income for themselves and their families,” says Branimir Tamindžija of the Multiple Sclerosis Association of the East Herzegovina Region.

The unemployment rate among persons with disabilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina remains high, making projects such as this an important step towards supporting their participation in the labour market.

The project was supported through the Regional Programme on Local Democracy in the Western Balkans 3 – ReLOaD3, funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with 14 municipalities and cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including the Municipality of Nevesinje. The project contributes to the several Sustainable Development Goals, including No Poverty, Good Health and Well-being, Decent Work and Economic Growth, and Reduced Inequalities.

One of the 20 participants in the project is 59-year-old Dražan Kuzman, who first experienced symptoms of multiple sclerosis back in 1994. “I did not know what was happening to my body, so I started undergoing medical examinations,” he recalls. He received a definitive diagnosis two years later and admits that at the time he was “overwhelmed by different emotions, above all sadness and fear.”

Today, Dražan is an active member of the Multiple Sclerosis Association of the East Herzegovina Region and has taken part in various projects aimed at improving the position of persons with disabilities. He has nothing but praise for ReLOaD.

“ReLOaD impressed me because it directly supports people living with multiple sclerosis by providing beekeeping equipment and training on how to make various products from bee products, which is something we all need,” he says.

Dražan does not allow the disease to stand in the way of his goals. He is dedicated to caring for his beehives. “Multiple sclerosis may not be within our control, but we must not allow it to prevent us from achieving our goals,” he says.