The TL;DR – soap is the most cost-efficient way to prevent the spread of disease in 3rd world countries – and yet, most communities don’t have access to it nor do they know how to use it. Sundara has recycled thousands of bars of gently-used soap from luxury hotels and distributed it to thousands of people in India, Myanmar, and Uganda. A small donation goes a long way – $5 can recycle 200 bars of soap, and $10 can provide a month’s worth of soap recycling supplies. Make a donation here.Â
When was the last time you thought about soap?
I mean really thought about it.
Yes, you definitely used it the last time you went to the bathroom (I hope!) or prepared something to eat. You may have given it a few seconds when your own dispenser is empty.
But I’m talking about soap in the grand scheme of things. As in, how soap all but eliminates risk for potentially fatal infections. Or what impact those partially used hotel soaps have in the environment (spoiler – not a good one).
Soap is, by far, one of the most efficient ways to prevent diseases.
And yet, a large part of the world’s population doesn’t have access to it, nor does it know how to use it.
That’s where Sundara comes in. Founded by Erin Zaikis, the organization recycles gently used soap from luxury hotels and distributes them to communities with a hygiene education program in India, Myanmar, and Uganda.
These hygiene educators? They’re women, who otherwise wouldn’t have jobs.
In the organization’s brief history, they’ve made over 16,000 bars of soap and impacted over 6,000 lives.
Given that over 2 million children die every year of hygiene-related disease, we have a long way to go. The upside – it’s easy for you to help.
What impresses me about Sundara is how lean their organization is. Even the smallest donations have a massive impact – $5 can recycle 200 bars of soap, and $10 can provide a month’s worth of soap recycling supplies.
$5. 200 bars of soap. I suddenly feel all too guilty about my morning latte splurges.
If you feel inclined (and I hope you do!), please make a donation to this worthy cause. As I’ve pledged here, I’ll be matching all donations up to $500 made through Bridge2Act. We raised $100 last month, but I’d love to double that number.
Keep calm, and wash on. And help women and kids to do the same.
images c/o sundara fund
