From Helpless to Helping

“I like creating something with my hands, plus I bring it back home to my children and watch as they wash with something I just made. It feels great.”- Josephine Nassali, Sundara hygiene ambassador on making soap.

Josephine Nassali is 26, a single mother of 4 living in Uganda and a hygiene ambassador for our aid partner, Sundara.

 Her friends were worried when she separated from her husband and was left homeless. “It’s not possible for a woman to support herself and raise kids on her own!”

In search for opportunity for a better life, Josephine found YICE, Sundara’s partner in Uganda, which trains widows and victims of domestic violence in livelihood activities. From there Josephine was selected as a hygiene ambassador for Sundara’s program in Bukompe camp.

“I was feeling so much heartbreak, I just wanted an escape. I needed some support. Coming here and being with these women who are going through similar situations, you remember that you aren’t the only one in the world feeling pain. That shared feeling is nice.”- Josephine

Our partnership with Sundara provides jobs, soap and hygiene education to communities in need in countries such as Uganada, India and Myanmar. Your SoapBox purchase donates a bar of their hand-recycled soap to someone in need. Sundara hires women in these areas to recycle the soap, deliver it and teach their communities the importance and best practice of hygiene care.

Josephine runs trainings for her refugee community during the weekends on hygiene in the home. She just recently taught a unit on hygiene in the kitchen.

“It feels great to help people in my own community when I once needed help.”-Josephine

She now makes enough money to send her children to school. Something she wasn’t able to experience when growing up herself.

Josephine is currently renting a mud house but hopes to save up enough money to buy her own.

 “Now, for the first time in my life, I have an address. I will never be homeless again. My parents never had an address – they never owned a home or a piece of land. I am going to be different. No one can take this house from me.”-Josephine

Together with your support and with amazing partners like Sundara we are able to make a world of difference across the world! Your purchases support more than hygiene products and initiatives, but change the lives of those who are impacted by your choice to give back.