001: Irvin

“Lo que me gusta me va a dar”
“What I like will provide for me”

I met Irvin this morning during a training I am helping Akvo deliver in Santa Rosa de Copán, in western Honduras. I sipped coffee and chatted with his friend Emily while we waited for the COVID-19 test results that would jumpstart the training (safety first!). Emily asked about my career and I mentioned that I am doing this short consultancy for Akvo before starting my own thing: a project to share the stories of Hondurans who believe there are great opportunities in the country; people who see potential and want to stay. She pointed towards Irvin, who had been sitting quietly besides me, twiddling his fingers and nervously shaking his legs.

“La pobreza es mental” (poverty is in the mind), he said, now looking towards me with resolute eyes. I smiled. He continued. “For example, my dad is a beekeeper, but he grew up in a different time and doesn’t see the potential I see in apiculture.” Irvin loves the bees, despite being mildly allergic to them. Two days ago he wasn’t sure if he would be able to show up for the training because his hands and face were too swollen from bee stings. He showed me the spots where he’d been stung. His hands were still red. He took the enumerator job, the one we were training him for, to make money to buy another beehive, one that will be entirely his. He wants to inspire his father to believe in something bigger. “After all,” he said, “I believe that what I like will provide for me. And I like beekeeping.”

Irvin recently graduated as marketing technician. He lives in Los Planes El Playón, Ocotepeque in western Honduras.

#honduras #honduranentrepreneur #courage #bees