Hong Kong/Kuala Lumpur — Handing out soap to street cleaners in Hong Kong might sound like piecemeal work in the battle against coronavirus. But with schools and offices shut in the Chinese-ruled city and across Asia, social enterprises — businesses that seek to do good while making a profit — are rushing to tackle problems from a shortage of face masks to distance learning.

Among them is Soap Cycling, which distributes soap salvaged from Hong Kong hotels to street cleaners to try to maintain public hygiene and stop the virus spreading...

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