Surprise Soap
RIL is working with WV Somalia and SomReP to bring a global innovation product called Surprise Soap to Somalia. Surprise Soap is a transparent soap embedded with toys. London School of Health and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), Save the Children and Field Ready in Iraq, undertook 40 randomized households' innovation. The control group received regular soap with hygiene messages. The results showed that children who received the 'Surprise Soap' intervention were four times more likely to wash their hands than those who received conventional soap. WV adopted the innovation in Somaliland, which is a humanitarian environment like Iraq. Various risks were managed during the adoption process, including the soap's acceptability to East African bathing soap standards. Kenyan Bureau of Standards (KEBS) tested the soap, and the results were shared with the program team to build confidence in the use of the soap. WVS scouted potential fabricators and suppliers, and the samples from a supplier were tested before a consignment was made.
There remains data paucity regarding acceptability and usage of the soap with toys in the Somali context. WVS increased the study's sampling frame by purposively targeting 781 children in the age range of 5 to 12 years. A pre-distribution survey was conducted in December 2020, and a post-distribution survey will be conducted in March 2021. The data collection survey tools were designed by WVS with the support of LSTM so that the data collected will be comparable to earlier findings on the usage and acceptability of soap with toys to enhance positive handwashing behaviors for children. Surprise Soap was introduced in the grant because the conventional ways of conducting hygiene promotion did not have toys appealing to children. Children were not directly targeted as recipients and felt that handwashing messages were not meant for them.
The 5,427 / 10,000 pieces of 100g soap were received in January 2021. WVS was distributed to the 781 children. Each child got 400grammes of soap to last for a month. The distribution was conducted alongside hygiene promotion activities such as drama and song in the schools (click to view). The eight tablets that were bought under the grant were configured and used for data collection. The same tablets will be used by seven community volunteers and one hygiene officer to routinely collect data on soap usage in the coming three months. WVS is working with the Ministry of Education to integrate the Surprise Soap innovation in the holistic WASH in the school's program.
Moving forward, the intent will be to work with a local fabricator to make the soap in Somalia to improve the market chain system, such as enabling the market environment, supply chain stakeholder's capacity enhancement, and improved service delivery.
