Africans can now wash away the risk of contracting malaria using a bar of soap that’s cheaper than a loaf of bread. Two students in Burkina Faso have created Faso Soap, which includes a mosquito-repellent formula thanks to locally sourced herbs (as well as shea butter and lemon grass oil) that ward off mosquitoes and prevent the development of its larvae.

Said to be ‘one of the most promising preventative solutions against malaria’, the soap aims to save 100 000 lives by the end of 2018.

According to a CNBC Africa report, a distribution network will ensure the soap is available in even the most remote areas. And if it is distributed to just five of the continent’s countries, that’s already reaching half of the population at risk.

A crowdfunding campaign to boost the product’s effort at reducing malaria ran from 12 April to 21 May this year, and collected more than US$71 000 – well ahead of its US$33 000 objective.

24 May 2016
Image: Faso Soap