You might be surprised to learn that the leading causes of death for children in developing countries are hygiene-related illnesses, which claim more than 1.7 million lives each year. That’s nearly one-third of all child deaths. Handwashing with soap is the single most effective way to prevent those deaths. In fact, soap is more effective than vaccines, medications, or clean water initiatives alone. Research has shown that soap can reduce diarrheal disease by nearly one-half and rates of respiratory infection by about one-quarter. Hundreds of thousands of lives could be saved each year if people had soap and understood how to properly wash their hands. While this need for soap exists, hotels throw away millions of partially used bars of soap. Hotels in the United States alone discard an estimated 2.6 million bars daily. The Global Soap Project is working at the intersection of both of these issues to reduce waste and save lives.