Honey Care Africa, a recently established innovative private sector Kenyan organization, and Africa Now, an international NGO operating in Kenya, won a major award from the World Bank at the 2002 Development Marketplace Innovation Competition to promote micro-financing facilities for community-based bee keeping in Kenya. The competition, which received over 2,400 proposals from over 122 countries, was held at the World Bank's headquarters in Washington D.C. in early January 2002.

Out of the 34 international awards given out, valued at over US$ 4 million, Honey Care and Africa Now's joint community-based bee keeping proposal was the only one from East and Central Africa to receive an award. Their award was funded by the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Department of the World Bank. The Kenyan team comprising of Farouk Jiwa, the General Manager of Honey Care Africa, and Robert Hale, the Country Director of Africa Now, were presented the award by the President of the World Bank, Mr. James D. Wolfensohn. The colourful ceremony witnessed by Frank Kiriswa, the First Secretary of Political and Economic Affairs from the Kenyan Embassy in Washington.

Mr. Farouk Jiwa and Mr. Robert Hale also received the prestigious Soros Foundation Award, which is administered by the International Finance Corporation.

"This award represents a major step forward in our efforts to develop a sustainable model for commercial bee keeping in East Africa with linkages to micro-financial institutions and village banks which can provide bee hives to communities through a leasing or hire purchase arrangement," said Mr. Hale. "This award from the World Bank is an important recognition of our organiszation's efforts to promote sustainable community-based beekeeping in Kenya over the last two and a half years," said Mr. Jiwa. "In addition, it is finally a validation of our tripartite development model that we have been using, which seeks to develop a synergistic partnership between the private sector, the development sector, and rural communities," said a delighted Mr. Jiwa.