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Date: | Thu, 11 Dec 2008 19:23:45 -0000 |
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Fortunately I don't think the project I mentioned was a UK sponsored one.
The one that did actually look at what was appropriate is mentioned on
the website [http://www.bees.org.uk/] and contains this wonderful
quote
Where there are women there will also be a variety of attached babies and
young children.
I am still trying to devise a mother-and-baby bee suit!
I get the impression that when the men go off into the forest they do it in
groups and it is probably a bit of an all boys together jolly [ British term
for a work related activity which has a minimal work element but a
maximum fun element] . So they were probably not as interested in having
beehives nearby which were easier for the women to tend, probably as a
communal activity along with the other small livestock and the vegetable
plot. It just needed a change in focus and listening to those involved
[and a woman working with them].
I did a day once at our local fair trade shop on beekeeping - had a glass
faced sealed hive and all the equipment to show people. The Kenyan man
from the next door shop came and was really interested as his father and
grandfather had kept log hives - isn't it a small world. His grandfather
had used the honey mainly for brewing beer, but his father had become a
Christian and sold the honey instead, as the alcohol caused such social
problems - something else I learnt.
There can be surprises as we learn more. A beekeeper who had come to
England from
Zimbabwe asked what an item of equipment was in our garden. It was a
simple solar
powered wax melter, used all over the British isles and surprisingly
effective even in our cool damp climate - he'd never thought of using solar
power to melt wax. Think of all that lovely sunshine in
Africa - I'd never have imagined that it wouldn't be used. I think it was a
reasonable assumption that they would use the power of the sun, but I was
wrong. Shows we can't assume anything and we have to do a lot of listening
and relevant talking.
And I guess this is where we get back to breastfeeding. Listening to the
mothers. Helping them breastfeed in their own particular situation, in
their particular culture, we can't assume just because someone is English
or [insert your own nationality] their world is the same as ours. We have
to ask them.
Nikki, that book sounds really interesting, I will see if I can track it
down, thanks for sharing that
Helen Butler
LLL Leader England
> And one might ask how those women perceived 'us' when told it was normal
> for the mothers to be _expected_ to leave their children. And how
> abnormal it was for 'us' to consider it strange to not want to leave
> your children! The classic pseudo-feminist trap - empower women by
> separating them from their children.
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