Pune, India - a city of nearly 4 million with 40% of its residents living under the poverty line in crowded urban slums. A shocking 2008 study on the water, sanitation and hygiene revealed that out of the 256 government schools in Pune slums, not a single one had soap available. Lack of proper sanitation in these slums disproportionately affects children, causing diarrhea, cholera and typhoid. In India alone, 1,600 children under the age of five die every day from these illnesses. While they don’t have access to soap, gently used bar soaps are being thrown away by hotels nearby.

That's where we come in. Sundara’s model is to hire local underprivileged women to recycle that soap waste, distribute the sanitized new soap bars to communities in need, and teach handwashing and hygiene education.

Our Pune Soap Recycling operation will provide clean soap and hygiene education to 20 schools in the slums, serving 4000+ children. This program is inclusive to schools educating children with learning disabilities, who face an especially high need for basic hygiene products and health education.