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January-February . 2024 | The HEALTH
Issue
19
Towards soap sufficiency for prisoners
( GRAPHIC CREDIT : ANNA LEE )
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( PHOTO CREDIT : TAPAH PRISON )
BY SANTHA OORJITHAM
GLOBAL Handwashing Day reminds us every year that handwashing is an effective and cheap way to prevent diseases and save lives . Last year , the theme was “ Clean hands are within reach ”. Tapah Prison marked it in October with a workshop organised by Malaysian CARE and Soapan Santun , which trained seven male inmates to make soap from used cooking oil .
Led by Sergeant Azni Wah Minon and Warder Leonard Lai , the men took about an hour to mix up a batch of soap , which was poured into used milk cartons and left overnight to solidify before it was sliced into 200 bars .
The bars were left to dry for a month and then used by the inmates for both bathing and washing clothes . Each bar lasted about one month . The long-term goal is for the prison to produce enough soap for around 3,500 inmates - an initiative supported by the Malaysian Prison Department .
“ We believe that every human being has inherent dignity and value ,” said workshop trainer Anna Lee , the co-founder of Soapan Santun , which makes eco-friendly soaps and other skincare products . Anna hoped that the soapmaking project would help ensure inmates ’ access to soap , one of the necessities .
With Covid-19 in the endemic phase , soap continues to play an important role in the health of prisoners . Diseases can be spread person-to-person or by touching infected surfaces . In his column in The Star , in conjunction
�fficers and inmates at Tapah Prison give their handmade soaps the thumbs up . with Global Handwashing Day , Dr Milton Lum wrote that handwashing with soap reduces the spread of microorganisms during outbreaks of infectious diseases like cholera , hepatitis E , severe acute respiratory syndrome ( SARS ) and Covid-19 .
FAST AND CHEAP TO PRODUCE
The Global Handwashing Partnership , which organises Global Handwashing Day , stressed on its website that washing hands with soap at key times , especially after using the toilet or when handling food , “ can dramatically reduce the risk of diarrhoea and pneumonia , which can cause serious illness and death . Handwashing with soap also helps prevent the spread of other infections , including influenza and Ebola .” It claimed that the practice could cut diarrhoea by almost onehalf and acute respiratory infections by nearly one-quarter .
Whip up a batch of eco-friendly soap in less than 10 easy steps .
The project at Tapah Prison required the bare minimum of equipment : a weighing scale , measuring cup , hand blender ( or eggbeater ) and a spatula . The used cooking oil was combined with water and sodium hydroxide , which is inexpensive .
Most of the equipment needed to produce soap can be found in your kitchen .
The project at Tapah Prison required the bare minimum of equipment : a weighing scale , measuring cup , hand blender ( or eggbeater ) and a spatula . The used cooking oil was combined with water and sodium hydroxide , which is inexpensive .
The October training was the second soap-making workshop at Tapah Prison . A small-scale workshop in May showed 13 officers , led by Inspector Rubern Asurajan , how fast and cheap it was to produce the soap .
Sunway City Kuala Lumpur Hotels supported both workshops with a supply of used cooking oil , in line with its # SunwayForGood movement , which works towards a sustainable environment , economy and society . “ As the world marks Global Handwashing Day , we are delighted to continue raising awareness of this important issue through our long-running CSR programmes , and we stand in solidarity with those in need ,” said Alex Castaldi , Senior General Manager of Sunway City Kuala Lumpur Hotels .
Sunway will continue to leverage its extensive resources to support this project , he pledged , adding that soapmaking at Tapah Prison will “ ultimately deliver long-term impact as this programme also provides a platform for the inmates on how to fish and cultivate independence .”
EARNING EXTRA INCOME
The Malaysian Prison Department is working towards self-sufficiency and already produces bread and laundry soap for inmates . Supplying soap to prisoners would be another step in that direction . And if production exceeded demand , the extra soap bars could even be sold .
“ It might help to make extra income , besides providing a good opportunity to help them fully utilise the used cooking oil they produce every day from their central kitchen ,” Soapan Santun ’ s Anna said .
Malaysian CARE serves the prisons with classes at four prisons in the Klang Valley , two halfway homes for male and female exprisoners , and peer support groups for male and female ex-prisoners . It hopes to continue partnering with the Malaysian Prison Department , Soapan Santun , Sunway Hotels & Resorts and others on this project .
“ Hygiene is one of the most important basic needs in a person ’ s life ,” added Eric Ruban , Malaysian CARE ’ s Community Development Department ( Prison Unit ) leader . We hope the soapmaking project at Tapah Prison will succeed in meeting that need .” – The HEALTH
Santha Oorjitham was Manager ( Policy , Advocacy & Research ) at Malaysian CARE