Water Sanitation and Hygiene
Clean water, proper sanitation, and hygiene are some of the most important factors in keeping children and families healthy. Unfortunately, hygiene is often overlooked as a public health intervention. 1.6 million deaths per year are attributed to unsafe water, poor sanitation, and lack of hygiene, including the seemingly simple issue of lack of access to soap. The poor hygiene situation is exacerbated by the lack of proper hygiene education and the use of relatively ineffective alternatives to soap, like bamboo ash or soil. Some rural populations tend to bathe and wash their hands using laundry detergent, which contains toxic chemicals absorbable through the skin. The developing world needs access to suitable hygiene products.
We believe in hand washing because it’s been shown to reduce the presence of harmful bacteria by 92%. And the developing world continues to struggle with high child mortality rates— it’s estimated that 11 children under the age of five died every minute in 2015. That is why at TCO together with Eco-Soap Bank we work tirelessly to produce soap that is accessible for vulnerable groups in Cambodia, because the way we see it, soap is an essential human resource which everyone deserves.