Hygiene-related illnesses are among the top two causes of childhood mortality worldwide. Approximately 3,600 children under the age of five die every day due to respiratory infections and diarrheal diseases that are preventable.
With access to clean water, proper sanitation, and adequate hygiene, morbidity rates can be reduced by 50% or more. In fact, studies show that hand washing with soap and water is the single most effective way to prevent hygiene-related deaths.
Clean the World and its foundation were founded in 2009 to address global health issues by using discarded hygiene supplies from the hospitality industry. Aiming to reduce the number of hygiene-related deaths, it began recycling soap into new bars to distribute to communities in need.
In 2015, Clean the World joined forces with the Global Soap Project, resulting in a consolidated nonprofit mission under the banner of The WASH Foundation, an evolution of Clean the World Foundation. The consolidation allowed us to go beyond just hygiene to include programs addressing sustainable access to water, sanitation, and feminine hygiene as well.
The WASH Foundation is an independent nonprofit organization and is not an affiliate or subsidiary of any other entity. We have a close, strategic partnership with Clean the World Global LLC, but we are a separate organization and independently operated with our own staff and board of directors.
Today, we’re working toward universal access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), and we focus on outcome-based programs to improve the quality of life for vulnerable populations around the world.
Our programs emphasize a local needs-based approach, focusing on education, local ownership and accountability, and community engagement, along with rigorous monitoring and evaluation to gauge progress. Our ultimate goal is to have the programmatic impact sustained locally, without dependence on ongoing aid.
We’re also proud to play an active leadership role in global WASH issues, and we’re honored to be one of just a few dozen organizations named to the United Nations Global WASH Cluster.
Thanks to our supporters and partners, since 2009 our programs and partnerships have served over 15 million people in 127 countries.
THE WASH FOUNDATION HAS SERVED OVER
Individuals in need.
