A Clean Observation

I want to take a moment to applaud the cultural sensitivity of a major multinational corporation.

I recently purchased a box of OMO, the local laundry detergent produced by Unilever, the company behind such popular brands of consumer products as Lipton foods, Becel margarine, Vaseline, Sunlight detergent and Dove soap.

As I tore into the box this morning, I noticed that there was no scoop inside, so I had to actually consult the box to learn how much detergent to use to wash our clothes.

The directions don't say how much to use for a washing machine, because so few people in Mozambique actually have that luxury. Instead, the directions demonstrate putting a handful of detergent into a plastic tub for laundry.

These plastic tubs are ubiquitous in Mozambique. I instantly recognized it on the side of the box as being the same size and shape as the buckets that I see everywhere: in people's homes, at their preschools, and being carried by women on top of their heads as they walk down the street.

Whatever good or evil there may be to multinational corporations, Unilever gets a bonus point for cultural sensitivity. Good job.