Two Atlanta-based nonprofits, the Global Soap Project and MedShare, have formed a partnership to distribute recycled soap from U.S. hotel rooms to countries around the world.
The soap project was founded last year by Derreck Kayongo, who also works for CARE, the Atlanta-based relief organization. The project collects slightly used hotel soap that would normally be tossed in the trash. Using a $20,000 machine, the soap is sterilized and shaped into new bars for shipment to Africa and other parts of the world.
Medshare collects surplus medical supplies and equipment and ships it to health care facilities in the developing world.
The Soap Project is donating two tons of soap, or 20,000 bars, to MedShare, for worldwide distribution. The donation will take place on Friday, Oct. 15, to commemorate Global Handwashing Day, according to a Soap Project news release.
“MedShare’s culture is centered around partnership opportunities because we truly believe that we can do more when we join hands with others to make a difference,” David Pass, vice president of development and marketing for MedShare, said in a news release. “Something as simple as hand washing with soap can reduce the spread of a number of diseases and chronic health conditions.”
In August, the Soap Project shipped 1,400 pounds of soap by air to Nairobi, Kenya. A Virginia company, Relief Cargo, paid $2,700 for the shipment. Soap has also been shipped to Swaziland, Uganda and Haiti.
For more information on the Soap Project, click here. For more on Medshare, click here.