Samir Lakhani: Saving, Sanitizing, and Supplying Leftover Soap

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In this episode, Samir Lakhani, founder and Executive Director of Eco-Soap Bank, talks about his innovative work saving, sanitizing, and supplying leftover soap for the developing world.

Samir Lakhani is a social entrepreneur dedicated to restoring health and dignity to developing countries. Before founding Eco-Soap Bank in 2014, Samir was deeply involved in aquaculture and nutrition projects in northern Cambodian villages. He has also developed solar lighting solution projects in Cambodia, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Through his six years of nonprofit work in the areas of nutrition, water accessibility, and sanitation/hygiene, he has witnessed firsthand how delivering key products like soap transform the health and well-being of impoverished communities.

Samir received a CNN Heroes Award for Eco-Soap Bank in 2017 and a Unilever Young Entrepreneurs award in 2018. He also recently gave a TEDx Talk.

He is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and currently lives in Pittsburgh, PA.

Eco-Soap Bank is a humanitarian and environmental non-profit organization working to save, sanitize, and supply leftover soap from manufacturers for the developing world. Our work has three objectives:

Lack of access to soap remains a critical factor in fighting the spread of preventable diseases worldwide. In some areas of the developing world, only 1% of households have soap for handwashing. Eco-Soap Bank seeks to address the critical need for hygiene. Working since 2014, Eco-Soap Bank has sustainably supplied more than 3.5 million people with soap and hygiene education.

After collecting and sanitizing the soap, we coordinate with our network of humanitarian organizations working in remote regions of developing nations. These organizations share our mission to improve hygiene, and they work within their communities to create a positive shift in hygiene behavior. Together, we impart the tools and skills to keep people healthy for generations.

The demand for improved hygiene in the developing world is immense, and much remains to be done. You can help support Eco-Soap Bank by donating, by getting involved, or by spreading the word.

To learn more, visit www.ecosoapbank.org