On our trip to Kenya in March 2010, we were shocked by how diarrhea is such a part of daily life. Not only do these farmers and their families experience physical discomfort and emotional duress, but missing a day of work and the cost of medical bills often means not enough food on the table. At any one point, over half of the poor in the developing world are sick from causes related to hygiene, sanitation and water supply. Not to mention over 4 million children die of diarrhea every year! After researching solutions, we learned that hand washing is the most effective way to reduce deaths from diarrhea. It cuts the number nearly in half and is even more effective than access to clean drinking water.
But current solutions, including hand washing with soap and water, are just not working. They do not have access to abundant clean water, the soap is usually nowhere to be found, and the behavior modification needed to kill enough germs to be effective is too high. At the same time, current waterless solutions like Purell are not suitable for our target market. They are just too expensive, not culturally relevant, and potentially fatal when ingested by children.
These realizations helped us hone in on a solution: a low-cost all-natural waterless hand sanitizer. We have partnered with Cleanwell, who has a tested and proven plant-based formulation, to address safety concerns. This solution is also gentler on the hands than alcohol-based formulations and has multiple uses including disinfecting surfaces. We focused on drastically reducing the packaging and distribution costs, which typically account for about 95% of total costs. Safi hopes to provide an affordable solution that leads to healthier lives!
More at http://saficlean.wordpress.com/.