Every day, more than 2 million bars of soap are discarded by hotels in the US alone.  At the same time, more than 2.4 million children die each year from hygiene-related illnesses, such as pneumonia and diarrhea.  Studies have shown that simply washing hands with soap can reduce the morbidity rates by as much as 47% — meaning that more than 1.1 million children could be saved each year if they had soap and understood how to properly wash their hands.  The Global Soap Project is working at the juxtaposition of both of these issues to reduce waste and save lives.

Founded in 2009, the Global Soap Project receives partially-used soap from over 1,000 hotels across North America, recycles them into new bars of soap, and distributes them to disaster victims, refugees, and children and mothers living in extreme poverty.  To-date, GSP has sent recycled soap, along with hygiene education, to thousands of people in 23 countries, and each week GSP produces 30,000 new bars of soap to go to people who need them most.

To maximize our impact, they partner with respected and vetted NGO and multilateral organizations to help identify and reach those populations that will benefit most from soap and hygiene education, while also evaluating how to sustain the impact long-term and being sensitive to local economies.  
Just $25 is enough to provide a year’s supply of soap to 10 children or mothers living in extreme poverty who don’t have access to lifesaving soap, and 85 cents of every dollar goes directly to the programming.

How your purchase helps: