The Latita Community Soap Project was initiated after one of Calabash Trust’s directors, Mr Paul Miedema, met a soap making trainer, Ms Hillary Morris, at the Tourism Indaba. Hillary Morris from Aurora Women’s Network had already established successful soap making projects in the Western Cape, hence Calabash’s interest in this initiative. Calabash Trust established that the communities in the urban townships of Port Elizabeth are areas of high unemployment and was looking at income generating projects for the people of the informal settlements at the time. This need was confirmed due to a close partnership with Calabash Tours, who promotes responsible tourism through their daily township tours, thus having first hand experience with community members in these neighbourhoods. As poverty is the biggest problem in the area due to high unemployment rates, Calabash Trust understands the need to empower people to become self-sufficient, enabling parents to earn enough money to pay for their children’s education and improve their quality of life.
After a discussion with the executive of the soap making training at Calabash Trust, it was decided to approach Joe Slovo and Emafini Schools, where Calabash Trust are known to the Headmasters. These two schools form part of the six cluster schools where Calabash Trust have many ongoing programmes. After applying for funding for this project from Greater Good South Africa (GGSA), a sufficient amount was received from PPC.
In October 2008, Latita Community Soap Project was started with a group of 6 unemployed women to set up and establish a small soap-making enterprise on the grounds of Joe Slovo School in Joe Slovo, Port Elizabeth. The University of Helsinki had also approached Calabash Trust with the idea of funding a specific project and as they were going to start the soap project at Joe Slovo, it was decided to duplicate the project with a similar one situated at Emafini School. The men and women who work on this project were chosen by the School Governing Body Members of the schools from which they operate. They were selected based on their previous commitments and involvement in all school projects, together with the fact that all are impoverished and unemployed.
Training in soap-making techniques by Hillary Morris enabled the groups to produce hand made soaps of a
high quality. Glycerine is used as the raw material, with rooibos tea extract and tea tree oil, lavender, orange and lemon as the main essences currently being used. Groups have received grassroots training from the Calabash Trust in-house trainer on basic record keeping of daily, weekly and monthly soaps produced, stock taking etc. and also gained valuable grassroots training by Ena Richards from Siya Sebenza in Port Elizabeth, providing life skills like ethics, finance and budgeting, professionalism, excellence and worldviews.
Twelve adults and their immediate families have benefited from starting their own business. Each person supports an average of five family members, therefore it is estimated that at least 60 members of their community have gained directly from this project. This is not to mention the benefits fellow community members has had, especially those involved in the schools, witnessing a successful enterprise in action.
The soap makers have gained new knowledge and skills, and with further support and monitoring they will be able to generate greater income as their client base expands. The Summerstrand Hotel in Port Elizabeth was the first client of Latita - and they continue to support this project still today by ordering soaps for their rooms on a monthly basis. It is anticipated that from this project the soap makers will be able to provide for their families and pay their children’s school fees, which would in turn warrant schools of excellence within their community. Furthermore, the families; most of whom live in shacks; will be able to upgrade their housing and improve their general quality of life.
We will soon have online shopping available where you will be able to purchase these amazing soaps - in the meantime, please visit our shop page for more details and contact us to order.
