Disabled find hope in soap trade

Yu Chong-yung and a co-worker at a council of Labor Affairs job fair in Taipei on Nov. 20. They displayed some of the soaps being produced at the E-job Handmade Soap Workshop. PHOTO: CODY YIU, TAIPEI TIMES

A new sheltered workshop is pro-ving that, if they are only given the opportunity, people who are mentally or physically handicapped will be able to master the necessary skills to achieve success in business.

E-job Handmade Soap Work-shop (一家工廠) was founded on Jan. 6 in Kaohsiung County to help people with physical or mental disabilities earn a living by manufacturing and selling exquisite handmade soaps.

Kaohisung County's Bureau of Labor Affairs started making plans last year to set up a workshop on land that had been abandoned by the Environmental Protection Bureau. The bureau put out a tender for a civil organization to create a workshop aimed at teaching on-site job skills to handicapped people.

The Phoenix Charity Foundation (火鳳凰文教基金會), which specializes in services to burn victims, won the bid.

"The E in E-job has different meanings. First, `E-job' sounds like `same as at home (一家).' In addition, `E' also represents `electronic, enable and encourage,'" according to the product brochure of the E-job Workshop.

"Here at the sheltered workshop we are hoping to help those who definitely cannot find jobs in other places."

Yu Chong-yung, director of E-job Handmade Soap Workshop

Yu Chong-yung (于宗永), the director of E-job Workshop, is a committed social worker.

"I majored in social services in college and have been working in this field for over 10 years now. I have also worked in another charity foundation before switching over to the sheltered workshop," Yu said.

"When the sheltered workshop first started, it was a difficult decision to pick a mainline product. I knew I wanted to move away from the usual products manufactured by sheltered workshops such as pens and key chains, but I didn't know what I was looking for. It was such a headache," Yu said.

Fortunately, at that point, Yu came across a chemical engineering expert who specialized in soap production. "This expert was very kind to pass on his knowledge and skills without charging any fees," he said.

Yu out that after conducting his own research, he realized the potential market for handmade soap was overwhelming.

"There is a very popular handmade soap which can be found in high-end shopping malls. The soaps there cost at least NT$400 per bar, which is four times more than what our soaps cost. Our strategy is to sell similar soaps at much cheaper prices," Yu said.

Currently are 33 people working at the workshop. Six of them are involved in the soap production and the rest are manufacturing other products.

"The age of these individuals ranges from 18 to 40, but the majority are in their 30s," Yu said.

He said many of the workshop's employees had no prior work experience. "If someone who has work experience approaches us, we tell them that if they are capable of finding a job elsewhere, then they should take it. Here at the sheltered workshop we are hoping to help those who definitely cannot find jobs in other places."

The operation of the soap workshop is very well organized. "There are two hearing-impaired individuals who are in charge of making soaps from scratch, and the packaging is done by two mentally handicapped individuals. Finally, marketing and selling the finished products is handled by two employees who have minor physical disabilities," Yu said.

Yu on the capabilities of his workforce. "Once they are trained, they can perform their tasks as well as anybody. Our salespeople handle everything by themselves, including visiting clients and doing financial calculations," he said.

So far, orders are placed via telephone. The Phoenix Charity Foundation has also designed a Web site (http://phoenix.org.tw) to post pictures of the different soap designs and ingredients.

"So far, people have heard of us mainly through the news, but we want to improve our sales. Early next year, we will set up a counter at Eslite Bookstore in Kaohisung City. It will be such a breakthrough for us," Yu said.

E-job launched soaps with mooncake designs during the Mid-Autumn Festival and the response was overwhelming. The workshop's income just from the mooncake soaps amounted to NT$30,000, Yu said. With Christmas around the corner, E-job also came up with gingerbread house soaps, which are selling quite well.

"Our employees are getting paid between NT$600 and NT$19,000 a month, depending on the monthly sales," Yu said.

When asked about his view on a recent news report that mentally and physically handicapped people have asked for more help from the government in finding jobs, Yu said that he has sympathy with these individuals.

"Currently, the Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) is paying enterprises that hire employees who are physically and mentally handicapped NT$5,000 per month for every handicapped employee for the first six months after their appointment," he said.

This policy is meant to encourage companies to hire these individuals, but after the first six months some companies lay off the handicapped employees, Yu said. "Then they will hire a new batch of disadvantaged individuals, so that they will keep getting paid by the CLA."

Another program is the CLA's funding for counselors who teach disadvantaged individuals on-site job skills.

"The CLA funds the costs to hire these counselors for the first 16 months after a sheltered workshop project has been carried out. After 16 months, the government will not provide any more funding, which threatens the survival of the project," Yu said.

Yu that the importance of skills training far outweighs financial reimbursements.

"It would be better if the CLA did not pay the reimbursements to enterprises but continues to pay for the counselors. Once an individual has acquired the necessary skills to do something, the skills will enable this individual to earn a living for a lifetime. Paying companies for hiring disabled people might provide them with jobs for a short while, but does not benefit these individuals in the long run," Yu said.

"To be honest, right now we are relying on the private sector for survival. We are hoping the government will hear our voice and come up with better policies to handle this issue, so that the survival of our project will not be threatened," Yu said.