Moctar Dembele and Gerard Niyondiko with their Faso Soap team after they receieved the GSVC global award for their innovative malaria-fighting soap
Moctar Dembele from Burkina Faso and Gerard Niyondiko from Burundi won $25,000 (over Sh3 million) for their innovative solution to tackling Africa’s deadliest killer. The two students created a soap that promises to prevent malaria.
The two students have used locally sourced herbs and natural ingredients found in Burkina Faso where the two study. Moctar and Gerard won the Global Social Venture Competition earlier this year for their innovative ‘Fasoap’ that repels mosquitoes.
“After using the soap, it leaves on the skin a scent that repels mosquitoes,” Gerard told CNN.
“In addition, waste water products contain substances that prevent the development of mosquito larvae, because the sanitation problem in Africa is one of the causes of mosquito vectors malaria,” added Gerard who is Moctar’s classmate at the International Institute for Water and Environmental Engineering in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
The GSVC provides aspiring entrepreneurs an opportunity to transform their ideas into businesses that will have a positive social impact. Fasoap is made from shea butter, essential lemongrass oil and other ingredients that are still a secret.
