Derreck Kayongo

As a former refugee from Uganda to Kenya, I am always reminded of the horror my family and I lived through during Idi Amin’s regime of human rights abuse, political repression and corruption.

To be truthful, every time we travel down this road it brings back tearful memories because I end up focusing on two interesting emotions. The happiness with which we celebrate the role fathers play in our lives, and the sadness that comes when we reflect upon our experience of being a refugee. This year, Father’s Day and Refugee Day happen on the same day – today, June 20th.

While there is so much sadness in being a refugee, I have found that those of us that are in the Western Diaspora, as victims of War and other circumstances, are actually the lucky ones in one way or another. We happen to be residents of affluent societies, in my case America, where resources abound to what seems as no end.

Because of this, there is so much we can do to bring comfort and hope to those caught in the doldrums of the infamous refugee camps. On my end, I used my unfortunate experience of being dislodged out of my country, to come up with an idea that I think will address some of the plight my fellow refugees face around the world.

My wife Sarah and I started the Global Soap Project in an effort to address one of the key issues that plagues these vulnerable populations and that is access to soap for sanitation reasons. We recycle partially used soap from hotels in the United States that we then send back home to those that can’t afford to buy this very basic necessity. This may sound as somewhat simplistic, but when you think about the problem, the reality is that there is such a dire need for soap that this rather simple intervention on our part has actually got the propensity to literally save lives. Think about it, hand washing is one of the first lines of defense against infections diseases like the flu and diarrhea.

Every year there are new numbers released by the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR). This year there is a stunning statistic that seems to show how horrible being a refugee is. There are currently 310,280 Somalia refugees in Kenya from a country that has been entirely devastated by endless war. All these refugees live on a dollar or less a day. Chances that they will afford or even use that meager dollar for soap are none to zero. This doesn’t take into account the refugees in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad and the list goes on.

With all this pain and suffering, I am pleased that on this Fathers Day, the Global Soap Project has the humbling opportunity to deliver a small sign of hope to all my fellow refugees around the world by sending them a bar of soap. In order to do this we need your support.

We are happy to announce that we have recently received our 501c3 status, enabling us to receive tax-deductible donations. So many of you have asked how you can help, and today I ask for a contribution to the Global Soap Project so that you can continue to help the millions of refugees around the world. Your gift will serve as a reminder that there are people like you that care about us. Happy Refugee Day!

The Kayongo Family

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