In the modern era, 1 in 8 children in Cambodia die from a preventable illness, before they reach their 5th birthday. In rural areas, 75% of Cambodians lack access to soap for hand washing. In the fight against preventable illness, the single-most powerful action one can take is hand-washing with soap. This practice can reduce the risk of death, or infection, by up to 60 percent. For an item which can have such a great effect on village communities, soap simply cannot go to waste.
Millions of tourists pour into Cambodia to admire its beauty, and to visit the legendary Angkor Wat temples. With such heavy tourist traffic, many hotels and guesthouses have sprung up to meet this demand. This means, that soap is being discarded after guests leave, and in such large volumes. For an item which could save lives, and is desperately needed in rural areas, we cannot allow such an undervalued resource to be thoughtlessly thrown away.
The Eco-Soap Bank is designed to save, sanitize, and supply this soap so that sick kids may return to class, hospitals would be less burdened, and parents would be given peace of mind knowing their children are safe. There is also a green, environmental component to this initiative, as the program would be reducing thousands of pounds of waste that would have simply been left in landfills.
The Impact is abundantly clear: Give a child a shot at life, with the simplest of items: soap. That's it. And we won't need to ship new soap to Cambodia--there is enough there already not being utilized. With your support, help us save lives. With your help, we can return entire village communities to good health and prosperity. Thank you for considering the Eco-Soap Bank, and the Cambodian people.
