As the cholera outbreak in Haiti continues to ravage the earthquake-torn Caribbean country, Edina and Bloomington public schools spread hope by collecting one of the most simple remedies: a bar of soap. The two school districts teamed up during the month of February in an effort to fight cholera, a disease that can be prevented through better sanitation efforts and hand washing.
This project, according to Highlands Elementary volunteer Cheryl Dulas, “was initiated and carried out in large part by the students.” What started with one classroom of 26 expanded into a school-wide, district-wide and even dual district-wide effort to reach beyond the community and help other communities worldwide.
Appropriately termed Soap 4 Hope, the project brought together hundreds of students and volunteers who collected 20,000 bars for the nonprofit organization Clean the World, meeting a goal of 5,000 lbs. of soap. “When the shipment reached Haiti,” Dulas says, “the soap bars were distributed to schools, orphanages and health clinics set up after last year’s earthquake.” And while giving to those less fortunate, these Edina children learned a lesson in not taking their own fortune for granted.
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While this project is completed, you can still donate to Clean the World to benefit Haiti, Japan and other regions worldwide.
