IMPACT SPOLTLIGHT
Palam Rural Center
The master soap makers of Palam Rural have achieved economic independence and education for the next generation.
The master soap makers of Palam Rural have achieved economic independence and education for the next generation.
“This soap is not just soap. It is the breadwinner for the entire family and community. It pays for the education of the next generation.
– SUNDARKUMAR, Palam Rural Centre, Co-Founder
Kousalya grew up in the Palam community where her father earned a living at the soap workshop, funding her degree in biotechnology. Now she proudly puts her education to use as the soap unit manager there. For this community in South India, it’s more than a bar of soap, it’s a bridge to equality. Their plant-based, eco-friendly soap funds generations of upward mobility. The word Palam stamped into each bar means bridge. With ingenuity, hard work and long-standing partners like Ten Thousand Villages, the soap makers have created a bestselling product. They have overcome discriminatory social systems and stereotypes to build an award-winning school and a sustainable, thriving community whose members are respected in society. It’s a story of shared prosperity and well-being.
Association for Craft Producers
ACP is a nonprofit group that provides design, marketing, management and technical services to low-income artisans, the majority of them women, providing regular, fair wages.
