Rushagari Youth Group Starts Minting Money from Environmentally Friendly Venture.

As unemployment rises, Rugashari youths have embraced beekeeping. Kenneth Niwaha, the group chairman, says that before 2016, many youths relied on charcoal burning and encroached on Bugoma Central Forest Reserve. KCSON, with WWF support, sensitized them on sustainable resource use and trained them to coexist with the forest. Within a year, the forest began regenerating, giving hope for restoration.

KCSON provided 270 Kenyan Top Bar (KTB) beehives, all now colonized, enabling the youths to sell honey and earn over UGX 4,000,000. They also received tree seedlings for future income and participate in a Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA), currently holding UGX 6.5 million, to access loans without relying on external money lenders.