Welcome to Uwezo
Derived from the Swahili word for 'dignity,' Uwezo is more than just a handmade soap company. Every bar you buy restores dignity and fosters self-reliance. Crafted with love and natural ingredients, our handmade soaps not only rejuvenate your skin but also empower people in refugee camps with the essential skill of soap-making. Experience the luxury of cleanliness while making a difference. Give the gift of dignity today.
Choose from our natural handmade soaps
Proceeds from each purchase fund our research into developing new, accessible, soap making methods for use by people living in refugee camps.
An essential tool of empowerment and dignity is often taken for granted—Soap.
The Birth of the Uwezo Soap Project
Mapenzi Kinege's Uwezo Soap Project Story
Mapenzi Kinege, Founder
My name is Mapenzi Kinege, and I am a Master of Public Health student in Global Health at the University of Washington in Seattle. I was born near Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a place of extraordinary beauty, resilience, and hope despite decades of conflict and instability. Growing up across regions shaped by displacement and recovery, I developed a deep commitment to improving health equity and advancing community resilience, particularly for marginalized populations in crisis-affected areas.
Mapenzi spent Fall 2023 in Nepal, teaching rural women community-based soap-making and supporting local WASH efforts. Through hands-on workshops, they helped strengthen hygiene practices and empower women with sustainable skills.
Nyarugusu Refugee Camp in Tanzania
The Nyarugusu Camp is where our founder, Mapenzi, grew up until he was 15-years-old
Imagine washing yourself, your clothes and your dishes with only 1 small bar of soap per month!
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In some refugee camps, more than half of households have no access to soap.
Those that do often get just one bar per month.
Democratic Republic of Congo Lubumbashi
Rapid assessment in Water and Sanitation and Hygiene
Become Part of Our Story!
In 2 crucial ways you can make a difference in the life of a person living in a refugee camp.
Make a positive change in the lives of others. If you believe as I do, that everyone deserves access to soap, you can donate directly to accelerate our research efforts, moving us closer to preserving the health, grace, and dignity of refugees.
Accelerate our research! We're developing new, accessible,
soap making methods for use by people living in refugee camps.
