A device called Soap for Hope is expected to reach 13 countries and impact 210,000 people by the end of 2015.
In 2013, Full Belly Project founder Jock Brandis and his team invented the humble cold press soap-making device, allowing for used bars of soap from hotels to be repurposed. The project began as an experiment in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to help unemployed people living in the slums.
“We’ve sent Soap For Hope presses to Egypt, Malaysia, Kenya, China, Cambodia, the list goes on,” said Full Belly Project executive director Daniel Ling. “Oddly, this is one of the most desired products that Jock has created.”
The popularity of Soap For Hope caught the Full Belly team by surprise. Brandis and his volunteers specialize in agricultural improvements such as creating water pumps, nut shelling devices and solar-powered farm tools.
“At first I was surprised at how popular our little machine was,” Brandis said. “But it has such unique purpose of helping women in slums.”
After a myriad of ill-fated attempts at soap recycling machines, Brandis finally settled on a design reminiscent of a Swedish cheese press. The process is simple: old soap is cut and soaked in bleach water, loaded into a mold and pressed with extreme force. Soap For Hope doesn’t require gasoline or electricity, just human effort.
“When we initially introduced Soap For Hope in Cambodia, I was amazed at how quickly the workers picked up the entire process,” Brandis said. “I soon realized that the practice was similar to cooking, which is a universal language. The team usually creates these in-depth instruction manuals for our other products, but this just requires a few demonstrations.”
Another reason Soap For Hope has reached such a height of success is that it improves the hygiene and therefore the health of people living in horrific conditions. Usually, food and water are top priority for both non-profits and those they affect. However, simple stomach bugs or diarrhea can cause death.
“In Cambodia we had to teach children how to wash their hands,” Brandis said. “They thought it was food because they had never seen soap bars before.”
Soap For Hope benefits in three ways: it reduces recycling costs for hotels, creates jobs for the unemployed by giving them the means to create a marketable commodity and improves hygiene. Those employed thanks to the soap press can afford to send their children to school. The activity also aids in the rehabilitation process and is currently being utilized at The Centre of Redemption in Wilmington, with soap provided by Hilton Hotels and Resorts.
“By 2016 we will have shipped 43 Soap For Hope machines,” Ling said. “That isn’t a large amount, but a single machine affects around 5,000 people. Multiply them together and that’s a big number.”
