Moctar Dembele and Gerard Niyondiko with their award winning and life saving "Fasoap"
Moctar Dembele from Burkina Faso, and Gerard
Niyondiko from Burundi, have invented a soap that repels mosquitos!
Their invention, titled "Fasoaop" is made from shea butter, lemongrass
oil, and other secret ingredients.
"After using the soap, it
leaves on the skin a scent that repels mosquitoes," said Niyondiko. "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 of malaria."
Malaria is
an essential issue to tackle. In 2010, there were 660,000 malaria
deaths, 90% of which occurred in Africa. Most of the affected
individuals cannot afford medicines and anti-mosquito creams.
"So
we thought of a repellent and larvicidal mosquito soap which will be
accessible and affordable to the majority of the population, seeing that
soap is a commodity product and especially not going to add other
additional costs to the population," says Niyondiko.
Their
invention earned them the $25,000 grand prize in the Global Social
Venture Competition (GSVC). This competition, created by Berkeley MBA
students, is designed to help entrepreneurs from around the world create
ideas with a positive impact. Niyondiko and Dembele came ahead of 650
other competitors from over 40 countries. This is the first time that
an African has win the competition.
"It is a feeling of joy and
pride for us and for Africa in general," said Niyondiko. "It also shows
that in Africa we are not back(ward) and that Africa's problems can be
solved by Africans themselves."
And that's what's good,
Jon
