After several sleepless nights, Darin decided he needed to invest time and resources into helping solve the safe toilet issue. He filed for a 501(c)(3) charity focused on helping build toilets and drilling clean water wells in developing countries, lacking access to clean and safe sanitation. But how do you name a charity that focuses on bathrooms and sanitation?

“After brainstorming 1,000 names, my wife, Shannon, came up with ‘ZuLoo,'” Darin said. “We initially wanted a name that had the connotation of a toilet but that was also short and memorable.”

ZuLoo, Inc. became the company, and ZuLoo Humanitarian became a Provo-based organization seeking to solve problems. Their slogan is simple: “solving the global sanitation crisis one toilet at a time!” And George’s book became the ZuLoo Bible.

ZuLoo’s toilets are not like most toilets made of white porcelain. Rather, they are “soilets,” a combination of soil and worms to make serve the same function. “The Soilet functions much like a septic system,” said Sean Sevy, a Soilet engineer. “But instead of the hassle and cost of regularly removing the solid waste from the system, earthworms take care of the job by turning the solid waste into nutrient-rich compost at such a rapid rate that the Soilet literally does not have a smell.”

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Through the support of several donors, ZuLoo Humanitarian has been building toilets in the developing world. ZuLoo has explored various business models to achieve its objectives, including acquiring several different bathroom-related product companies, but found that to be challenging.

One of ZuLoo’s first projects began in 2019. They constructed 100 eco-friendly, individual household toilets in the Karmik Nagar community of Hyderabad, India, giving between 400 and 700 people the dignity and safety of this basic human necessity. ZuLoo also drilled three new clean water wells, providing water to over 3,000 people.

Finding partners with the same goals is often challenging to find. “We prefer to work with in-country organizations that have local connections to people who we need to serve,” said Suzanne Godfrey, ZuLoo’s media relation coordinator. “We have to have in-country partners that can execute and understand accountability and report-ability.”

One of ZuLoo’s key partners in India is Study Action Group for Participative Integrated Development (SAPID), a grassroots non-government organization headed up by Dr. Meera Neru. Dr. Meera has been the recipient of the Mother Teresa Award for Social Justice and continues to be an inspiration in her hometown of Hyderabad, India.

SAPID and ZuLoo Humanitarian have implemented a process of working with a local community to have them identify the most vulnerable families to receive subsidized toilets. First priority goes to households with high numbers of women and girls, pregnant and lactating women, elderly, and people with disabilities.

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“Oftentimes public toilets are unsafe and unsanitary as in the case of communal pit latrines,” Darin said. “We believe everyone should have access to their own personal toilet, easily accessed from the privacy of one’s own home.”

Being able to have sanitation in the poverty-stricken areas around Hyderabad is a blessing.  Each ZuLoo toilet helps a family of up to seven people.

“We feel this phrase summarizes our focus on individual household toilet ownership as opposed to the installation of public toilets,” said Darin. “We try to come up with model to help the community one toilet at a time. It’s about dignity and safety.”

ZuLoo Humanitarian also partners with Kathy Headlee, founder of “Mothers Without Borders,” to build toilets in Zambia. “Right now, we are just completing our first project with ZuLoo. They are building 12 additional pit latrines and a large urinal for the boys. Darin and ZuLoo are committed to making a difference in the world. It is privilege to work with them,” Headlee said.

“We have the solution to the world’s sanitation and toilet issue,” Suzanne said. “We know that one out every four persons in the world do not have access to appropriate sanitation and toilets. We also know that each water well ZuLoo helps drill provides clean, safe and a sustainable daily water supply to approximately 600 or more persons. The challenge is getting together the right people and resources. And that’s ZuLoo’s mission.”

One of ZuLoo Humanitarian’s features is that it has a podcast, aptly named the “Pōōdcast,” to help with media relations and discusses the challenges of sanitation. Kelsey Jensen, who served as the Pōōdcast co-host for 67 episodes, deserves credit for the title.

“We launched the Pōōdcast to promote ZuLoo’s overall mission and serve as an ongoing platform to share impact stories; bring general awareness to the current global sanitation crisis surrounding toilets, clean water, hygiene, and sanitation; and highlight the stories of the individuals and families touched by the work of our non-profit affiliate, ZuLoo Humanitarian,” Darin said.

ZuLoo Humanitarian has recently developed its “242 Partner” program — a global movement inspiring businesses and individuals to support sanitation solutions through memberships and everyday actions — to support its vital work to address today’s global sanitation crisis.

“The ‘242 Partner’ program is designed for businesses who either currently lack a social-impact partner or focus area or for socially responsible businesses who want to support ZuLoo Humanitarian ongoing global efforts to bring clean, safe, and sustainable sanitation (toilets) to the poor and thereby help create a healthier planet,” Darin said. “Some of our long-term goals include hosting the annual ‘World Toilet Summit’ sponsored by the World Toilet Organization (in Salt Lake City). … We want the ZuLoo brand to be synonymous with: ‘Hey, that’s the company that stands for safe and clean toilets for all humanity’.”

To connect with ZuLoo Humanitarian to help, volunteer, partner with, and/or donate to ZuLoo, you can go to http://ZuLoo.org. To help build toilets around the world, go to ZuLoo Marketplace: https://zuloo.org/marketplace.