In trying to find the right outlet for the 'one-for-one' component of the SoapStandle enterprise, I came across Sundara... and Erin Zaikis.
There are a number of well-intentioned groups that recycle soap to under-resourced areas, but Sundara is really smart about it... using relationships in the area, they take the soap, process it and get it to people 'on the ground' so it reaches the right people (kids) and empowers local women. In their own words, "The hospitality industry throws away billions of bars of gently used soap into landfills every single year. Sundara takes those bars before they hit the trash and cleans and sanitizes them so they are pathogen-free, cannot transmit disease and are fit for use again. We employ a holistic approach to soap recycling, relying on community members for leadership, giving dignified jobs to underprivileged women and focusing on intensive hygiene education in a sustainable movement to reduce preventable hygiene related death and disease." http://sundarafund.org
Erin has been a pleasure to work with, and in a short period of time has already taken SoapStandles to schools in India, and is headed out again in a couple of weeks to Uganda. The idea is that if a SoapStandle can make the soap 'experience' a little nicer and help the bar last a little longer, then the work Sundara does will be a little easier and go a little further. Here's a photo from one of the schools in India... Erin says "the standles are a total hit!" Thanks, Erin, for taking us along.
The 'standard' SoapStandle size takes up almost the entire lower surface of the bar... the batch that is going to Uganda is the 'mini' size. We're learning!