KUCHING: Mick Nah Wai Murn has successfully started a mini soap-making studio to sustain the running of a social cause that she has so passionately pursued.
Starting a year ago, the Singaporean, who is married to a local, said the profits from her projects had gone towards assisting single mothers and the Narcotics Rehabilitation Centre (Puspen).
She added that a portion of her profits was also used to buy more ingredients to expand her soap-making initiative, which she did by hiring two single mothers to help them earn a living.
“We hope to continue doing more with JWKS start-up grant and create more job opportunities for the many more single mothers in the village.
“Now we are working towards setting up a soap lab in Kg Bumbok and also a fair-trade kitchen in Kg Bumbok as well.
“Both the lab and kitchen will be set up in the same area, which is a space used for Kg Bumbok JKKK meetings, but it’s been way underutilised, since they have been conducting their meetings in the hall instead.
“We have been very blessed to get the support from Kg Bumbok KK, JKKK and the villagers,” said Nah.
With the lab and kitchen within walking distance from their homes in the village, Nah believed that this would help reduce transportation expenses and travel time.
Nah also helped Puspen provide training to inmates once every three months and also make anti-drug video clips to create awareness among villagers.
Her journey was not easy. After waiting for funds to initiate a programme to help single mothers and Puspen, Nah almost got what she started out to do. However, due to a change in the government, all her plans went down the drain.
Refusing to wait anymore, Nah started out small by asking assistance from Batu Kitang assemblyman Lo Khere Chiang. She got a place from him to help her start out on a small scale
Initially as planned, her soap business was just to give inmates and single mothers a chance to do small-scale business but surprisingly, it surpassed her expectations when demands started trickling in.
Having an artistic interest and talent, Nah, who was a beautician in Singapore before meeting her husband and coming to Sarawak eight years ago, had some soap-making lessons back in Singapore.
She started experimenting with her own creations – turning soap bars into the shapes of cookies, chocolate bars, ‘kuih’ and candy, among others. Each soap bar costs between RM5 and RM45.
Her soap bars attracted the Singapore National Heritage Board. She has since gone over twice to give workshops to children there and will also be doing an expo with them this September.
Calling herself a social enterprise, Nah said her mission was not about making profit but more about doing social work that benefitted the less fortunate as well as to provide monetary assistance for programmes that will help reform drug addicts.
For her, to get drug addicts to change their ways, and no matter how small her efforts may be, that is all that matters.
