At Beeyo Maal, we are proud to be a women-led frankincense cooperative. Three out of four on our board of directors are women, and we are determined to reduce gender inequality in our region and harness the skills and expertise that local women possess.

Traditionally, in the frankincense resin industry, men have done the harvesting and trading, while women were relegated to the back-breaking work of sorting the resin. Sorting is difficult and dangerous work that requires women to be hunched over for up to 12 hours a day, inhaling dust and debris in a brightly lit warehouse, while they separate bark and stones from the pieces of resin, grading each individual piece on its purity and value. Spending so much time in close contact with the resins gives them deep respect for the resins, and they know everything about its history and uses.

Women were exploited

While inequality has existed in our communities for a long time, in recent years, the problem has gotten far worse. The middlemen who have come to dominate the resin trade exploit the women by making them work longer hours, for less pay, in worse conditions. This increases the middlemen’s profit margins when they go on to sell to international buyers. The women are also victims of constant abuse, unable to stand up to the middlemen as they are reliant on their salaries and have no power in local decision-making.

Women in power benefit the whole community

But we are determined and made it our mission to change this. We believe that this treatment of women is unacceptable. We also believe that giving women positions of responsibility is a good business decision, as they are incredibly knowledgeable and motivated to make decisions that benefit the whole community. As mothers and carers, they always want what is best for the people around them. In the past, decisions made by greedy people have greatly damaged the community. With more women in leadership positions, we believe that such damage will decrease significantly.

Beeyo Maal in the news

We are also mindful of recent news articles that detail the abuse and experience of women in the frankincense resin trade, and we want to assure international consumers that our resin is not contributing to gender inequality. By promoting our women-run frankincense cooperative, we hope to appeal to buyers who want resins that are not just high quality, but ethically sourced too.

Putting women in positions of leadership is a significant step towards achieving gender parity in the resin industry, and it sends a powerful message to other communities that women can be successful leaders and make positive changes that benefit everyone.

Better for women, for our community and for the frankincense trade

We are determined to promote gender equality, ethical practices, and positive change in our community. By putting women in positions of leadership, we are  also breaking down traditional gender roles and promoting good practice in the frankincense trade in Somaliland, and hopefully up the supply chain internationally. Beeyo Maal are grateful for the support from the charity Horn of Africa who have helped to set up our cooperative and provide assistance with raising our profile (see the latest article by Rachel Fobar for The Fuller Project and the Guardian) and awareness about the problems in the Frankincense trade. We are optimistic about the future, and we hope that our efforts will inspire other businesses to join us in promoting gender equality and ethical practices.

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