Soap Hope and sustainable anti-poverty institution Esperanza International launch anti-poverty partnership; Soap Hope will provide annual one-year interest-free loans to Esperanza to help grow antipoverty initiatives

Michelle Rivera

DALLAS , October 14, 2011 (press release) – As nonprofits struggle in the slow economy to raise funds, one company is showing how businesses and nonprofits can increase both impact and profit.

Soap Hope (http://www.soaphope.com), a national retailer of natural products for body and home, is investing 100% of profits into programs that lift women from poverty. The program operates both in the U.S. and abroad in areas of extreme poverty.

Soap Hope has announced a new investment into Esperanza International, a sustainable anti-poverty institution working in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Soap Hope will provide annual one-year interest-free loans to Esperanza to help grow its antipoverty initiatives.

Esperanza’s managing director Carlos Pimentel sees opportunity for nonprofits to partner with business. “Through our relationship with Soap Hope, we hope to demonstrate to the business community that investments into social programs aren’t just good for the world - they are also good for the bottom line.”

Soap Hope says 80% of customers are women, who purchase natural products online ranging from body care to cosmetics, household cleaning products to fashion bags.

Why focus on women? Soap Hope Co-Founder Salah Boukadoum believes women are the key to ending poverty. “Women save more, invest more, and are more likely to use their earnings to educate their children and break the cycle of poverty. Soap Hope creates a wonderful connection between women: successful women buy our products, and developing women use our programs to lift themselves from poverty.”

Boukadoum says the program, dubbed “Good Returns” by the company’s founders, has been a key competitive advantage. “We offer our customers the same high quality products at very competitive prices. Why would they buy anywhere else, when they know their purchase will bring opportunity to hard working women in need?” The company’s website highlights each customer’s impact by tallying the number of days of support their purchase has provided.

Soap Hope (http://www.soaphope.com) is a national retailer of top brand natural products for body and home. 100% of its profits are invested into anti-poverty programs.

Esperanza International (http://www.esperanza.org) works to free children and their families from poverty through initiatives that generate income, education and health, restoring self-worth and dignity to those who have lost hope.

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