Derreck Kayongo Named CNN Heroes Top 10 Finalist!
For the 5th year, CNN has asked its viewers for nominations for their everyday “heroes” – people that make a difference in the world. This year, one of our supporters, Jack Harvey, from Knoxville, TN nominated Global Soap Project founder Derreck Kayongo for the award. When his profile aired in June, we were inundated with emails, phone calls and LOTS OF SOAP from hotels all over the country, all in support of our mission to improve global health. This morning CNN named Derreck as a Top 10 Finalist for the 2011 CNN Hero Award!
The winner of the award will be voted on by you, the public, and will receive $250,000 to further their cause. A live tribute show, hosted by Anderson Cooper at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, will culminate in the announcement of the CNN Hero of the Year on December 11th.
You can help Derreck win!
Visit the CNN Heroes page now and vote for Derreck! You can vote up to 10 times a day – this is a campaign we can all get behind. Thanks again for your support!
Thank you so much for your support for the last two years. The recognition from you and from the team at CNN Heroes has introduced our organization and cause to so many new friends and supporters, and for that we are both honored and grateful.
I am so happy and thrilled to hear the news today about the Top 10. Derreck through his organization makes such a HUGE difference and having grown up in Africa I know first hand how powerful the impact is. Please spread the word and support the Global Soap Project and his organization.
I as Omutaka Namwama leader of Kkobe clan which I believe is Kayongo’s clan too, I wish to convey our appreciation for the good works of Mr. Kayongo and the persons that have worked with him. Conguratulations, your actions are making the world a better place for humanity.
Augustine
I have so much respect for Derreck and his wife Sarah. They have been actively involved in international development work for many years. Derreck is one of the first people that inspired me to get involved in not for profit work. I wish the Kayongos all the best!
Derrick and his wife Sarah are exceptional human beings. I have so much respect for the work that they are doing on the continent. In short, they are committed to changing lives, one bar of soap at a time. It’s amazing how sometimes a seemingly small contribution can have such a lasting and profound impact on so many lives. May God keep you guys well and good luck.
Not only does Derreck do so much through the Global Soap Project, he also help other non profits in the area. He has been a committed speaker and networker for our organization, the US National Committee for UN Women, helping women around the world. Thank you Derreck for all you do for so many!
As always, wishing you and your family the best! Great work.
Congratulations! to all of you the top ten heros of the CNN of the 2011. First, I want you to thanks God and your self for the wonderful commitments you have deserved by devoting the rest of your life through helping others because the citizens of the world. From the bottom of my heart, I wish you for the best and continune to do the right things to our own brothers and sisters of the world.
Thanks
Ngor
Congratulations Derreck and Sarah Kayongo for this incredible amount of work you are doing for God’s people. The Ugandan Community is very proud of your accomplishments and we will pray that you win on December 11, 2011. $250K will definitely clean people’s hands in the poor and underserved countries in the world. Please let us know how we can help!!
God bless you always.
From the Seninde Family.
Bravo, Bravo. I wish I had thought of this, but one man can only have so much room.
Now all of these people need hope for the future. It warms my heart to know there is so much care from other men for the children of the world. We also try to provide opportunities for the poverty reduction. Please let me know how I can help.
God Bless your work.
It has been an honor for me to be involved with the Global Soap Project. I’m a heath care worker and former soap maker, so when I heard about Global Soap, I was immediately hooked. There are peoples on this planet that have no choice but live in horrid, filthy conditions. Here, we take cleanliness for granted. In other places in the world, they have no options. They don’t have a choice. What Global Soap does is take a resource that we were throwing into the trash, taking used bars of soap, and turn them into new bars of soap, something those people don’t have. What Global Soap does is give a child overseas the ability to wash his hands and his food before he eats. The bar of soap gives them the ability to cleanse their wounds, to clean their kitchen utensils. That bar of soap gives a mother a chance to cleanse herself before she breastfeeds her baby. Those bars of soap, tons of them that have been reclaimed and sent overseas give those people hope, that they don’t have to live in complete squaller. There are people here that care about them.
Just me.
way to go Derreck
I wish Derreck Kayongo all the success in this process. May he named Top of ‘all’ the rest by CNN! Congrtaulations for the great work – reaching out to the impoverished in the world – to date! Blesings, Dr. Peter Okaalet
Congratulations Derreck for the good work, helping to improve lives of many in need. Your passion and desire for the needy is without question. Keep up the good work.
Blessings…
G.otieno.
Cant believe what started as a simple idea in the kitchen is now a global conversation & especially impacting those that need just a bar of soap for better hygiene! You make all of us who have ever dreamed proud & inspired!
May favour smile down on you & see you at the top of it all!
God Job Derreck!
Daisy
I thank God for what you are doing for the whole world. May God Bless all what you do and we are proud of you. We wish you the best and pray that you win this contest.
Greetings to your family. all from Sarah Mugerwa born in Kasubi yr home village.
I would like to salute all the nominated cnn heroes for their unconditional love for people
and all of their humanitarian efforts. The Bible says it is better to give than to receive.
I thank God for all of your endeavours to make sure that this world is better than it is
now. That the world must seek peace and not war and that poverty must be eradicated
through little gifts, love, and donations. My congratulations go to all the heroes and most
especially to my brother, Derrek Kayongo. I wish you and others best of luck and God
blessings.
Dear derrick
Am personally happy to see our own family member impacting and transforming the world. your innovations will make the world a better place for the generations
to come
yrs
kayongo magala
Way to go dad you inspire me daily— and you are already my hero!!
I began working with Global Soap when I was a General Manager at the Radisson in Nashville Tennesse. Now I am a Regional Vice President with 116 hotels in 11 different states. I encourage all of my hotels to stand arm in arm with Derreck and his most important cause. Derreck has been for years and will always be one of my Heros!
Derrick,
This is wonderful in fact you are so focused let your dream come true. You are my hero I pray for you and God bless you.
Derrick, its good to be famous but its angelic to get that fame from helping the needy, you have done us proud. God Bless and multiply your efforts.
Rose
God bless you Derrick.
Thank you Chris for you comment, my name is Munyaneza and i have been Scooper Knight fan musically for a long time from the days when he worked on the 101 fm Radio in Kigali before he came to America.He is a such gifted young man but most of all, i was very impressed by his big heart, i dont think there is any single individual who has ever come to Rwanda and spend so much money from his pocket helping without sponsars. Scooper Knight your a such hero to me and i also hope that you get the recognition you deserve so that your foundation can go on helping more people like the stay in school campaign you started in U.S.A. May God bless you and your family.
I was surprised and humiliated that one of the developed nations of the world have high rates of wasting hygienic products such as soap. I was shocked about what I have seen in hotels, however it is everywhere!! I am happy that you transformed the used (old) soap to the new soap. This is what I call public health; helping our people, especially in our native homeland to educate the community on the importance of hygiene and other health concerns. As I am a public health student soon finishing, I will implement something to educate our community. Webale Derrick!!! and God Bless you.
Congratulations Derreck. You are a great inspiration. You have a big heart and we at home were not only moved seeing you on CNN for such a great honor but we were also on the floor in tears from laughter. You are still very very funny. Great work my brother.
Congratulations derrek on your award for the 2011 CNN heroes. Thanks for the good work and giving hope to those who have no one to turn too. May god bless you and your family.Rose
I was thrill to watch Derreck get the CNN award for something that makes such a difference in peoples lives. Yea, Vicki Gordon too behind the scenes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jan Gordon