Business Opportunity - Making Liquid Soap

Classes are over and the GHTA students are studying hard for the final exams they will take next week.  There was one more vocational class to be taught, one that all the students were excited about - how to make liquid soap.  Yesterday, Fatihia, one of the translators, and Betilda, one of the students who acted as her assistant, showed the students how it's done.

Sesalia, Digna, me, and Joyce before soap making class started.

Fatihia wrote the ingredients needed to make the soap on the blackboards in the classrooms so the students could write them down. The class gathered around a table outside the classroom and the soap making began.

Everyone was interested in learning how to make soap - including me.

After adding all the ingredients to a large bucket it had to be stirred non-stop for 15 minutes.  Many students shared the stirring, and some only stirred long enough for Dave to get a picture of them.  One thing we're learned about Tanzanians, they love to have their picture taken.

Yunisi taking her turn.

As soon as Dave snapped her picture she had enough and handed the big spoon to the next person.

Edward actually stirred for quite a while.

We love Mlay but he was definitely only stirring for the photo op!

Pilly taking her turn.

Yacinte and Pili just wanted to have their picture taken.

After the soap was ready the students filled containers so they could take some home.  Making liquid soap can be a good business.  The ingredients cost about 100,000 Tanzanian shillings (about $70 USD).  And it makes a lot of liquid soap. They can make a good profit by making and selling it. It can be the difference between being able to pay their children's school fees or not.