Cairo: Looking back at the past decade, Saudi apiarist Ibtihal Al Awami has every reason to feel happy and proud. At the age of 50, she has fulfilled her long-cherished dream of becoming an established beekeeper and a recognised apiarist.
Curiosity initially led her to look into ins and outs of the profession and read extensively about bee raising. More than a decade later, beekeeping has become a part and parcel of her day life after pursuing a career where she has already won several awards.
Ibital told Saudi TV Al Ekhbariya that her passion about beekeeping started at her farm where she noticed that bees gathered and the idea came to her to make use of them in a project.
She has manufactured cosmetics from honey and its wax.
An apiarist is someone who keeps and manages bees, usually for honey production, pollination or bee conservation.
Over the past two years, she has taken part in several competitions and won prizes at British and French contests.
“I’m happy and jubilant. I feel I’ve achieved something I long yearned for,” she said.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has ramped up efforts to empower women in different walks of life and appoint them in leading positions as part of massive changes in the kingdom.
Two female ambassadors were among 11 Saudi envoys, who took the oath of office before King Salman bin Abdulaziz last year. The appointments rose to six the number of Saudi women ambassadors.
Women are also encouraged to start up their own business and enterprises.
In 2018, the kingdom allowed women to drive for the first time in its history, ending a decades-old ban on female driving.
In another move enhancing women’s empowerment, Saudi Arabia allowed women to travel without a male guard’s approval and to apply for a passport, easing long-time controls on them.
