THE MEY (美) PROGRAM ... BE PART OF SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL! 

INTRODUCTION TO THE MEY (美) PROGRAM

Have you ever wanted to help clean the environment? Or maybe you want to help empower Hong Kong's youth? Or even provide employment for disadvantaged elderly and minorities? Well, the MEY (美) Program does all three at the same time! The MEY (美) Program is Soap Cycling's vision for the next five years. It will mean MORE recycling, MORE sanitation and hygiene amenities distributed within HK, and also MORE employment opportunities for minorities and elderly. 

More Recycling: Through the MEY (美) Program, Soap Cycling will dramatically expand the recycling of bottled soap amenities (bath gel, shampoo, etc.), which will be packaged in hygiene kits for distribution to local Hong Kong charities. In 2017 we have distributed 15,000 such kits, and we hope to double that in 2018. By recycling bottled amenities in addition to soap bars, Soap Cycling will be able to quadruple our positive impact on HK's environment. 

More Sanitation and Hygiene Amenities: Those hygiene kits will be distributed to disadvantaged communities, with a specific focus on poorer populations in Hong Kong. We are collaborating with NGOs all over Hong Kong to ensure the kits get to the people who need them the most. 

More Employment Opportunities: Through the MEY (美) Program we will employ elderly and minorities from the Kwai Chung (葵涌) neighborhood, which has one of the highest poverty rates in Hong Kong. Soap Cycling’s warehouse is surrounded by elderly centres filled with enthusiastic and talented residents looking for accessible activities in which to devote their skills and energy. And since nearly one-in-three elderly people in Hong Kong lives in poverty, the MEY (美) Program will focus primarily on employment of the elderly during its startup phase.

Put simply, the MEY (美) Program means: 

Why is it called the MEY (美) Program? 

MEY stands for Minorities, Elderly, and Youth - the three demographic groups that we aim to focus on over the next 5 years. And the Chinese character 美 (pronounced 'mei' or 'mey') means 'beautiful', perfectly representing our focus on a more beautiful and sustanable future for Hong Kong. 

What kind of tasks will people who are employed in the MEY (美) Program perform? 

We are going to train them to lead volunteer sessions, primarily in building hygiene kits for distribution to Hong Kong's poorest citizens. Here is a short video showing some of the activities in which the elderly will engage: 

WHAT WILL THE MONEY BE USED FOR? 

100% of the money raised will be used to launch and run the MEY (美) Program.

The first HK$150,000 will be used for capital expenditures necessary to get our warehouse ready for the Program, and to make it possible for us to recycle more bottled amenities. For example, we need to purchase tables, chairs, and other equipment that are appropriate and safe for the elderly workers. 

The remaining HK$100,000 will be used to host 100 MEY (美) Sessions in 2018. It costs approximately HK$1,000 to host each MEY (美) Session, including the cost of paying the elderly workers as well as necessary logistics and materials costs. We hope to host 100 such sessions in 2018. 

EVERY DONATION HELPS! 千金 • 一諾

Many people are familiar with the Chines idiom 一諾千金, which means a promise is worth 1,000 pieces of gold. This references the importance of trust in communities. We have altered that slightly for the MEY (美) Program: 千金 • 一諾. Under the MEY (美) Program, for every HK$1,000 we raise, we can host 1 MEY (美) volunteer session, each of which includes:

• Providing up to 4 elderly people the chance to work for pay while engaging with people from the community; 

• Production of enough soap for approximately 450+ children for an entire year or up to 2,000 hygiene kits for distribution to poor Hong Kongers; and

• Empowerment and volunteering opportunities for Hong Kong students and corporate/community volunteers, respectfully. 

We've never publicly asked for funding before, but we need your help!  

We are working very hard to turn Soap Cycling into a fully self-sustained social enterprise, and over the past year most of our revenue has been generated internally from bespoke services we provide to corporate partners. But in order to usher in the next five years of our growth, we need to get the MEY (美) Program off the ground. And for that to happen, we need your help. Please donate and help fund the launch of the MEY (美) Program and help us bring a more beautiful future to Hong Kong! 

Great Rewards!

We have a lot of great rewards for people who back our campaign. To see all the apparel and photo options, please go to this site: 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HmqsuIrswdVFe0DPeH19FxQdXhf8oU-J5sY_SuNjV2E/edit?usp=sharing

Thank you, from the bottom of our heart! 

Soap Cycling - Committed to a more Beautiful Future

We at Soap Cycling are committed to building a more beautiful future. A greener, more sustainable future. And a future where Hong Kong's youth and elderly feel empowered to make a difference and succeed.

Over the past 5 years, Soap Cycling has had signficant impact in Hong Kong:

• We upcycled more than 150,000 pounds of soap;

• Distributed more than 2,000,000 soap bars to disadvantaged communities across 10 countries;

• Distributed more than 15,000 hygiene kits to Hong Kong's poor;  

• Provided more than 200 youth with significant leadership opportunities; and 

• Hosted more than 10,000 volunteers from the community. 

And we did all that while spending very little money, running primarily via leadership from student interns, and the hard work of corporate volunteers. As a result, Soap Cycling is one of Hong Kong's fastest-growing and well-recognized early-stage social enterprises.

WHAT IS SOAP CYCLING? 

Soap Cycling is a non-profit organization based in Hong Kong that provides recycled soap to NGOs/charities for hygiene and sanitation projects throughout Asia. Soap Cycling is the first organization of its' kind in Asia and is operated largely through student volunteers from the University of Hong Kong.

「再皂福」為香港非牟利機構，旨在回收及再造未完全消耗的肥皂，並經由各非政府組織 (NGOs) 及慈善團體機構的網絡將「再皂」分發到受眾手上，以協助推動亞洲區內的環境衛生及個人衛生項目。「再皂福」開創亞洲先河，是區內成立的首個同類組織。主要由香港大學學生以志願形式參與管理和營運。

To learn more about Soap Cycling, please visit www.SoapCycling.org

See what we accomplished in 2016: