12.11.2022

Handmade Soap Keeps Malaria-Carrying Mosquitos Away in Uganda

Malaria is also one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in Uganda, especially among children under five years. Statistics from the Ministry of Health show that malaria accounts for over 27% of deaths. It kills at a rate of 478 cases per 1,000 populations per year. Mosquito sprays, nets or gels are not only expensive to the low-income earners but they are also rare to find in rural shops. To help curb the malaria deaths, 25-year-old Joan Nalubega, under her company Uganics, invented bar soap that repels mosquitoes. It is an organic and affordable soap that prevents the spread of malaria.  Uganics' soap can be utilized in a variety of ways, such as bathing, washing hands and washing clothes. She has distributed more than 400 kg of soap and reached thousands of people through her sensitization campaigns with positive feedback regarding malaria elimination. Nalubega sells the soap to resorts and tourists, looking for an organic way to prevent mosquito bites.  Here, she sells to them at a high margin to enable mothers in rural communities to get the same soap at a low price to protect their families. There are three types of Uganics soap in 100gms; One for people with normal skin and this goes for sh10, 000 while the one with palm oil cost sh7, 000. The third type is the one for users with sensitive skin. It cost between sh18, 000-sh22, 000 depending on the market. Nalubega says, that is the price for hotels and tourists but the disadvantaged group including women and children in villages buy it at sh3, 000. However, some women receive it for free during sensitization sessions at the local health centres in Mpigi.Upon use, the soap repels mosquitoes between five to six hours. Due to her innovation, Nalubega recently emerged among the winners of ‘Champions of Science Africa Innovation Challenge 2.0' sponsored by Johnson & Johnson International Group of companies. Credit: Seeker+Sci