What we are about.

At ZuLoo Humanitarian Outreach (ZHO) we work to bring affordable toilets, water security, and innovative sanitation solutions to the world’s poor. ZHO is affiliated with ZuLoo, Inc, which is a social impact benefit corporation focused on the toilet and bathroom consumer products sector. The long-term vision is for ZHO’s charitable work to be mostly funded by a donated percentage of all of ZuLoo, Inc’s sales of bathroom products.

Did you know?

40% of the world’s population have no access to toilets. 600 million of those people are in India alone. That’s twice the population of the United States living in one country without toilet access. As you can probably guess, this leaves them with no other options but to defecate in the open. Absence of toilets remains one of the leading causes of death and illnesses among children in India.

Absence of toilets remains one of the leading causes of death and illnesses among children in India — with over 200,000 child deaths per year due to exposure of the bacteria in feces. Those children that do survive the exposure, are cognitively and physically stunted because of that exposure.

Studies tie open defecation to the reason why 50% of India’s children are malnourished and stunted. That’s right. Half of a country’s children currently have brains that will never develop to full capacity because they don’t have toilets.

That’s a lot of wasted talent and potential the world is missing out on. We’re here to change that.

Water Security

This sanitation crisis is often compounded by the lack of access to water in many slums. Additionally, lack of access to water sources place women and girls at risk for gender-based violence from having to commute long distances away from their homes.

As we work to provide needy families with eco-friendly toilet systems and sustainable water access, we work hand in hand with in-country partners. Community members are organized and mobilized to nominate the most vulnerable families to be recipients. Beneficiaries are expected to provide buy-in in the form of manual labor, stones, sand, pipes and transportation of materials. ZHO covers the rest. 

Likewise, in the installation of bore-wells, buy-in and participatory engagement creates dignity and community ownership. With the increase in safety and saved time, and the decrease in disease cost of water, these programs have immediate health and economic outcomes.

We measure the impact of our sanitation and water programs quantitatively by evaluating improvements provided by the toilets and borewells as independent variables. 

Why do we facilitate on-site expeditions?

We deliver solutions for the world’s poor in areas lacking access to toilets and clean water. This year in India we are installing affordable, innovative, eco-friendly toilets and drilling water wells in Hyderabad slums.

What can I expect from joining an expedition?

ZuLoo, Inc.’s non- non-profit Affiliate, ZuLoo Humanitarian Outreach (“ZHO”) is focused on India.  Consistent with ZuLoo, Inc.’s social impact mission, ZHO is dedicated to enabling access to basic, low-cost, affordable and sustainable sanitation solutions (i.e., toilets) to the world’s most vulnerable populations.

Why sanitation?  We’re so glad you asked!

Currently the lottery of birth assigns 200,000 children each year conditions that take their lives prematurely due to diarrheal disease caused by lack of access to basic sanitation. This is the number one reason for loss of life of children under 5 in the developing world.

In India alone over half of a billion people lack access to toilets, forcing them to relieve themselves in gutters, waterways, and open fields. In fact, in India more people have access to cell phones than toilets! India’s dense population means that human feces are not easily kept from food and water sources, leading to the ingestion of bacteria and worms that cause more disease and loss of life than malaria and HIV combined. Without access to nearby toilet facilities, women and girls must commute away from their homes, placing them at risk for sexual assault and gender-based violence. As a result, many girls report purposefully taking in minimal food and water in order to minimize these commutes that involve taunting, voyeurism, and even the risk of rape.

With this in mind, ZHO has first chosen to focus its efforts on India’s vulnerable slums. ZHO seeks to work with in-country partners to secure adequate water and sanitation facilities across slum communities, where in some locations up to 90% of dwellers lack access to toilets and running water. ZHO’s efforts include drilling bore wells and the introduction of our favorite simple technology: the “Soilet”.

What are Soilets you ask?

Soilets are innovative, eco-friendly latrines that break down human waste using earthworms. The Soilet functions much like a septic system, but instead of the hassle and cost of regularly removing the solid waste, our earthworm friends take care of the job.

This is why we love what we do. Our business is to help people worldwide do their business.

Zuloo India

ZuLoo, Inc.’s non-profit affiliate, ZuLoo Humanitarian Outreach (“ZHO”), is focused on India in 2019.  Consistent with ZuLoo, Inc.’s social impact mission, ZHO is dedicated to enabling access to basic, low-cost, affordable and sustainable sanitation solutions (i.e., toilets) to the world’s most vulnerable populations.

We deliver solutions for the world’s poor in areas lacking access to toilets and clean water. This year in India we are installing affordable, innovative, eco-friendly toilets and drilling water wells in Hyderabad slums.

Click here to get involved.