Equipping the Saints: Soap Making Launch

Emma and Luan mixing a trial
batch of soap on front porch.

In the fourth quarter of last year, I went to Kampala to investigate some income generating project ideas. After much prayer and discussion with the women of Tukwatanize, we agreed to move forward with making bar soap as an income generating opportunity. I agreed to spend the time and resources to learn the process and to then share it with the women. So, in late April, I attended a one-day workshop in Kampala on how to make bar soap using a hot process. The bar soap is primarily used locally to hand wash laundry, but the bar soap is also widely used for washing dishes and bathing in the village. I returned from the training with basic knowledge, equipment and raw materials to get started. Unfortunately, replicating the process observed in the training course was not that easy. After several unsuccessful attempts on my own to make the bar soap and further consultation with the trainers via phone, I returned to Kampala for more specific one-on-

Pouring the trial batch of
soap into wooden moulds.

one training before traveling to England in early June. After returning to Ft. Portal with Emma, I made it a priority to figure out the soap making process. After several more batches, lots of learning and a few close calls at loosing my eyebrows, we felt comfortable enough to share the process with the women of Tukwatanize in mid-July.

For three days, Emma and I trained the women in the hot process of soap making. We explained and demonstrated the process the first day and then assisted and encouraged the women the following two days as they applied what they had learned. By the end of the third day, the women were confident to begin making soap on their own.

Luan teaching the women about
various soap ingredients and safety.

Thanks to the generous contributions of our supporters, I was able to leave the women with two wooden soap molds, each with a capacity to hold ten bars and with enough raw materials to make an additional 60-80 bars of soap. This should be enough for the ladies to get started. It is now up to the women to work together to take advantage of the training and opportunity that they have been given.

Please pray that the women will work together and use what they have learned to provide a sustainable income for their families through this income-generating project. Pray that the ladies would be committed to the project and produce a consistent, high quality

product that they would be able to sell at a fair price. Also pray that they would be creative and successful in marketing their product. Learning to make the soap is only the beginning. They have a lot more learning and work ahead of them to make this income-generating project a success.