Beekeeping business helps refugee's dream come true

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As an agriculture engineer in Iraq, Sahar was able to live out her life’s passion of being a bee keeper on her father’s bee farm. Together, they worked side by side, tending to their more than 80 beehives each day.

Unfortunately, Sahar’s life would soon be turned upside down with the onset of war. When the fighting reached her city, Sahar was forced to take her two young sons and flee to a neighboring country for safety.

There, they stayed for years in limbo, waiting to be able to return home or to try to start a new life in a new country. In 2016 their prayers were answered and they were accepted for resettlement to Utah.

For the second time in her life, Sahar started over, travelling to a new land, where she knew no one.

Sahar was met at the airport by her caseworker from Catholic Community Services of Utah (CCS), who helped her get an apartment and find a job. But soon Sahar realized that her dream of working in agriculture with bees was still there and she wanted to achieve it. She worked with CCS to connect with resources in the community to take her first steps toward beekeeping. She found a plot of land to rent for her bees and found microloans to help her purchase the necessary equipment and hives. One bee, one hive at a time, Sahar has seen her dreams come true.

Today, Sahar is expanding her business and hopes to have more than 100 hives one day.

Sahar is just one of the thousands of refugees who enter the United States each year with valuable skills wanting to give back to their new communities.

Courtesy of CCS