zambia gold: honey for change

It is hard to foster literacy and computer skills in a sweeter way than sustaining the pursuit of learning with a buzz-worthy solution. As a homeopathic remedy for sore throats and sour stomachs, honey hardly seems like a cure-all for the education gap in developing countries like Zambia, but students in Gonzaga University’s Comprehensive Leadership Program (CLP) beg to differ.

Bootstrapping a micro-finance project in 2007, Gonzaga students collaborated with people living in the Sub Saharan country of Zambia to create a program that would build opportunity and better education initiatives for the region. They did this by working with the local farmers to create a USDA Organic Certified forest honey.  Aptly named Zambia Gold, this liquid amber goodness not only enriches morning toast, but also substantially affects the lives of the people and the communities that produce it. Since all proceeds go directly back to Zambia, the results are as tangible as the nectar itself.  Profits from the sale of the honey have helped build a library, provide scholarships for local children and fund local classrooms.

Since the founding of Zambia Gold, a group of Gonzaga students travel to Zambia once a year to keep the project going.  Today, Gonzaga Professor Josh Armstrong is flying to Zambia to get ready for the next set of students who will work on this honey project.  Armstrong and his students say it is a labor a love.

GreenCupboards recently started selling the honey. We are delighted to share it with our customers and gobble one of the finest social justice treats on the market.

Images:

http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/nytmaps.pl?zambia