Episode 16: Sahada's Soap Business in Ghana

In this episode, Sheilagh Newland, HerStart Communications Fellow in Tamale, Ghana, speaks with Sahada Muzaa, founder of Muzaa Enterprise – a social business focused on empowering young girls and women by teaching them to make soap. Sahada shares her goal of reducing youth unemployment in her community and how YCI's HerStart program supported her to start her business. 

Transcript

Introduction: 0:04

Welcome to Youth Challenge International's HerStart HerStory podcast series. Youth Challenge International, or YCI, launched the HerStart Innovate the Future Program in 2020 as part of our initiative to advance women's equality globally. Our goal is to provide 10,000 women in Ghana, Tanzania, and Uganda with the resources and supports they need to successfully launch and grow their social businesses. We are sharing real stories of young women who are leading change in their communities. YCI's HerStart Innovate The Future Program is funded in part by the Government of Canada to progress Canada's Feminist International Assistance Policy. Learn more at yci.org or herstart.org.

Interviewer - Sheila: 1:03

Hello everyone, my name is Sheila Newland and I'm a Communications Fellow with Youth Challenge International's, HerStart program in Ghana. Today I'm speaking to Sahada about her business where she produces soap and empowers young women in her community. Sahada is a participant in the HerStart Grow Your Social Venture program. This program helps young women entrepreneurs to grow their social and environmental impact through business skills, coaching, mentorship, and training. Sahada is also a recipient of HerStart's Catalyst Fund. The funding provides women-led ventures with critical funding that can help them thrive. Sahada and I are speaking today from the YCI office here in Tamale, Ghana. Could you start by introducing yourself and describing your business?

Interviewee - Sahada: 1:48

I'm Muzaa Sahada, I'm into soap making, and my business name is Muzaa Sahada Enterprise. I'm making soap, soap like uh, bar soap and then liquid soap and then shower gel. And we also have a local, local soap that we call Asthma Blue.

Interviewer - Sheila: 2:12

What motivated you to start selling soap?

Interviewee - Sahada: 2:16

I did my own research. I went to my community. I got to realize that if I go into making soup, it can help me and then help my community even. It can even help my family.

Interviewer - Sheila: 2:34

How did you do this research? Did you just talk to community members?

Interviewee - Sahada: 2:39

So I started from my house asking my, my, my neighbors like in this our community, uh, what challenge are we facing? And then it was like youth unemployment, especially with the young women, especially those who are under 17 and are path, some are not going to school, so what business do they think they can do? And they say, oh, how far we, we want a business, like a place that you can go and sell, get your profit, and then you send it back and pick that is what we want. And then, it was one woman who told me that,"look, let's do soap business" because soap during raining season time we use soap, dry season time, we use soap. There is no time that we don't use soap. Every time we use soap to bath, we wash our clothings, we wash our bowl. So let's, if ole you are willing to help us, you should be doing soap business. So that is where I now got my business idea.

Interviewer - Sheila: 4:00

You mentioned about the importance of empowering young girls in your community. Yes. Why is this important to you?

Interviewee - Sahada: 4:08

It's very, very important to me because me in particular, I didn't go to school actually, they sent me to school, but I dropped out in primary level. So, and I'm facing that challenge a lot. So that's why I want to help those who are not able to do anything.

Interviewer - Sheila: 4:36

How are you empowering them through your business?

Speaker 3: 4:41

For now, I have, I have two ladies that I'm training them. My business is supporting them a lot because in the morning or in a daily when they wake up, they know that they have a place to go. They won't sit at home like that. They know that I have to go. Um, I have to go to the shop and do business for now. In the morning they can get breakfast for themselves. Even in the afternoon and in the evening too, I'm very sure that they can feed themselves. So I started from feeding them through my soap making and like first when they are hungry and they are not able to afford unless they go and beg someone. So now they don't do like that again. We are doing small, small.

Interviewee - Sahada: 5:41

Going back to the soap, what materials do you use to create the soap? I use palm oil and then palm canal oil. You can also use, uh, coconut oil. You can also use shea butter.

Interviewer - Sheila: 5:57

Where do you get these materials from?

Interviewee - Sahada: 6:00

I buy it in Tamale here

Interviewer - Sheila: 6:02

Could you tell me or take me through the process of how you create the soap?

Interviewee - Sahada: 6:08

Before you make up your mind, like you want to do b ad soap, you should make sure that you have c austic soda and then she also m akes sure that you have your oil, like p alm oil and then p alm kernel oil. You should have those t wo because it goes together and then h ave the b owl that you are going to mix it inside. And then you have your stirring stick that you use to stir i t. And then you should also have your mold after mixing it where you are g oing to pour it before you can then cut it.

Interviewer - Sheila: 6:46

And with your soap, who is your targeted customer?

Interviewee - Sahada: 6:50

My target, uh, customers, um, students, and then women. Actually, I'm targeting everyone because I know everybody's washing their clothings.

Interviewer - Sheila: 7:06

What challenges have you faced since starting your business?

Interviewee - Sahada: 7:10

I face a lot of challenges. The prices keep, keep increasing and like as a beginner, like me in the market, we have Kin soap company, we have Jamal company, we have, uh, this company to their soap name is Easy. They are in the market for a long time and people are, people have gotten used into their products and I'm just a beginner.

Interviewer - Sheila: 7:44

How has this program, HerStart, how has it helped you on your journey?

Interviewee - Sahada: 7:50

It has helped me a lot because I wasn't doing anything. I was just in the house, but now thank to this program, I can now do anything that I want. Now. I have my own shop. I have my shop at, uh,[ inaudible] Market. This business now that I'm into, I'm not stopping. Nothing is going to make me stop. This business is going to be my family business because my children will come and dream. So in my community, especially my community.

Interviewer - Sheila: 8:32

My last question is, what advice would you give to a young girl in your community that dreams of creating her own social enterprise?

Interviewee - Sahada: 8:40

The only advice that I can give is they shouldn't give up. They should never think about giving up whatever they made up their mind or their intention to do. And they know that something good will come out of it. They shouldn't stop. They should keep pushing, keep pushing. Even if it has to go to the extent that they should go and look for help, they should go because as I'm speaking now, I will be happy. Like someone will just come and say,"oh, madam Sahada please will you allow me to come and join you". I'll be much happier to help that kind of person. When you make up your mind and then intention, you can achieve what you want. Just like me, I have achieved what I want because there's no way that I, I will stop this business. There's no way. Because I wasn't thinking like having my own thousand Ghana cities neither to talk of having my own shop or having a, a idea about, I even, I didn't know what they were using to make soap. Now I know.

Interviewer - Sheila: 9:56

Amazing. Thank you so much for joining us today.

Closing: 10:06

Thanks for joining us today and learning about how you challenge International has partnered with young women to advance gender equality globally and create a social entrepreneurship ecosystem with a positive impact for all. If you enjoy this hair, start innovate the Future podcast episode. Please subscribe and share our episodes on social media. A special thanks to the fellows that volunteered their time in Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda, who help create these episodes, Y CIS Hair Innovate. The Future and fellowship programs are funded through the government of Canada's volunteer corporation program, providing skilled Canadians opportunities to volunteer with global partners and advanced Canada's feminist international assistance policy. Join us in thousands of young people around the globe creating a better future together. Learn more atci.org or.