Two days of successful training have passed. Two days that shall help hundreds of people in our communities in Bungoma county to get access to bar soap and to produce it on their own.

Two years ago, our people with albinism community at the Ana King More Health house in Webuye had learned already how to produce solid soap and could help many people in the surrounding to make some more hygiene happen. Right on time when Covid-19 hit also Western Kenya. Due to the lockdowns and difficult situation the planned bar soap making had to be postponed. But now it became a reality!

Christian, a chemist working at Boehringer Ingelheim has always been interested in the activities under the Making More Health (MMH) umbrella. Last week he started a three week journey to Kenya to visit for different locations where our communities and local partners are active. He will stay with them – first in Webuye, then in the Kibstar cooperative with our farmers, then at our MMH center in Eldoret and afterwards in Nairobi with our NGO partners – and run several training session to ensure that the soaps they are going to produce together are not just of a perfect quality, but also the safety rules are well respected. Also basic marketing and packaging skills will be taught.

During the 1st day 29 people (volunteers at the MMH house) participated. On the 2nd day also government officials, school teachers, partner organisations , even the local catholic bishop joined, a total of additional 20 “students”.

“Everybody is happy and this profound bar soap making is now another story in town. For some people getting soap in this community is a real miracle and now with the GAASPP soap good heaven has been opened for them,” said the government officials and the bishop.

Also the schools in the surroundings will now start producing their own bar soap. Combined with the ongoing hygiene training sessions and other hygiene measurements this is a real change agent.

I will meet Christian and the communities soon in Webuye and do also an interview with him. His engagement, the willingness of the company to support such skill training sessions and the “experience on the ground” creates not just a big win for the communities, but also for Christian it is a life experience, an exposure to a different world. It is a big win for everyone.

My thanks go also to the supervisor from our chemical department. Without his support this would not have been possible!

So, stay tuned!