Empowering grandmothers in proper hygiene management and business skills

Audrey application to FSD’s virtual internship program was motivated by her will to: broaden her understanding of development challenges outside of the United States, gain grassroots communities experience, and learn to tailor projects to local needs. Audrey worked with a group of grandmothers in a small village of Kyriowa; during her community assessment, they shared and compared their perspectives on communicable diseases and hygienic habits. A recurring suggestion was simply to purchase more soap, yet Audrey found this solution unsustainable in the long-term. So, forming a team from St Francis Health care services and FSD, she collaborated with the grandmothers to create an empowering soap-making program. In November 2021, she launched a series of trainings on basic business management skills and making of liquid soap.

The project resulted in the grandmothers learning to produce soap locally, which was used in their homesteads and communities and even sold to generate income to financially contribute to their families well-being. The generated profits supported their purchase of more and different ingredients, increasing their capacity to produce more soap and refine their techniques. To ensure that the program continues, training on business skills management and soap making will be replicated for other neighbouring grandmothers around the same area. The essence of the project is to improve hygiene practices among the elderly, their families, and the neighbouring communities, while also learning basic business skills which are widely applicable and, in many ways, benefit local livelihoods.