Soap

Soap is not something that you would naturally associate with Africa, is it?  The “big five” does not normally contain a bar of soap.   But for me I will always think of soap making as being one of my happiest memories in Africa.

We met Claudia on the first day of our project visits, as she welcomed us into the room at the back of her house to watch her mix up the next batch.   Claudia had begun making soap a few years ago and has now gone from a production of just 20L a week to 3000L.    From what was a hobby that earned her a little bit of money, into a thriving business that now employs two others.

All with the help of the Tanzanian Gatsby Trust who have provided Claudia with the training and support that she needs to grow her business.   Your donations to Sport Relief have helped do that.    Have helped Claudia understand about packaging, purchasing, the need for bar codes if she wants to sell in supermarkets.    In fact the business is now so successful that Claudia has dreams of opening her own supermarket to sell her products.

From 20l a week to family and friends, to where she is now, it is incredible when you think about it.    And as soon as we met Claudia we asked if we could buy some.  Not just a little bit but 10 bars about 12 inches long.   We wanted to bring it back to the UK with us and sell it on, ploughing 100% of the sale price back into Sport Relief.

For me there is something quite powerful about the circle of that money.    Donated / granted / invested / product sold / proceeds donated.

If you would like to buy some of Claudia’s soap you can do so from 8am today, but be quick as we only have 60 pieces.   All £5 a slice, and 100% of the money is being donated back to Sport Relief.

We should point out that if you have sensitive skin we can’t make any claims about how this soap will be for you.  We have all tried it, and loved it.   It is all blue, and all scented with rose.   It is Ph neutral as we watched her test that bit 🙂

Team Honk Soap Shop