“Alhamdulillah [Thank God], this work has given me extra income,” she said while preparing the tools and ingredients with three fellow widows on the mosque terrace at a residential complex in Depok, West Java.

She and her partner made hand soap while the other two worked together to make dish soap.

They put all but one ingredient into big plastic buckets and stirred it for up to an hour. After storing the mixture for eight hours, they added the last ingredient the following morning.

“We store it to let the bubbles clear. Only afterward do we put in the perfume as the last ingredient,” Sumiati said.

They then put the liquid into 450-ml capacity plastic bottles, sealed them with caps, applied brand stickers on them and the products were ready for marketing.

Sumiati and her partner made 20 liters of liquid soap, which was converted into 50 bottles, each earning them Rp 1,250 (9 US cents).

Popular

Much ado about asset forfeiture

Mass poisonings cast doubt on free meals reforms

The benefit of the doubt has expired