Former refugee dirties hands for clean project

ATLANTA: Nearly two decades after he arrived in the United States, Derreck Kayongo is still bowled over by one subtle display of American wealth: the endless array of soaps available in stores.

In Uganda, his African homeland, the cost of soap is out of reach for many, often with tragic consequences. In 2004, the World Health Organization found roughly 15 percent of deaths among Ugandan children under age 5 resulted from diarrhea-related diseases, many of which could be prevented through hand sanitation.

Now America's bountiful soap bars have prompted Kayongo to launch the Global Soap Project, an effort to help his country's poorest - one used bar of hotel soap at a time.