Hope Through Soap

Vital Stats

Krysten T

Washington, DC

  • people helped2000
  • People Doing It 50

The Problem

As resident in Washington, DC a city where one in twenty individuals is living with AIDS, I was led to create a program that would bring awareness to this issue both locally and abroad. I was first motivated to help with the AIDS crisis because the epidemic is growing everyday. I thought about the best way to make an impact and through research, I found that with the rising costs of medications, many AIDS victims were in need of everyday toiletries, specifically those residing in Africa. But, in the midst of my global initiative, I could not, in good conscience, neglect those individuals in Washington, DC who were suffering from the disease. For years, I had been tracking the efforts of the Whitman Walker clinic, and I knew that, in some small way, my donation would be able to have a lasting impact on the lives of their patients. I have always been aware of AIDS victims, but I had never done anything to help out and this was my chance.

Plan of Action

My project required a lot of effort on my part. For my project I collected toiletries from various hotels and sent them to Africa for victims of HIV/AIDS. I wrote letters to over fifty hotels and asked my own community for donations. I was nervous that hotels wouldn’t respond, but I was hopeful when the first hotel did respond. The project took perseverance, because I had to continually correspond with the contacts to see what toiletries they could offer me and when I could pick them up. I organized and led sessions where my Girl Scout troop and people from my school helped me take inventory. I then got in touch with an organization called World Missions, who had a contact in Tanzania, and sent half of the toiletries overseas. After that I searched for an organization in Washington DC and found the Whitman Walker Clinic. I asked them if they could use the toiletries and they showed great interest. When I learned of their need for individual packaging I then made care packages. Those packages where distributed to AIDS victims at the Whitman Walker medical center, as well as, all around the city through Whitman Walker’s medical mobile center. With my hard work, I was able to give over four thousand toiletries to HIV/AIDS victims in Africa, through United World Missions., and in Washington, DC, through the Whitman Walker Clinic. The hardest part of my project was finding an organization that would receive the toiletries. When searching for an organization, I learned that items donated for AIDS victims are often stolen before they reach the intended recipients, so I had to be extremely careful while choosing an organization. I had to ensure that the toiletry items would make it to their destination. Despite the hardships, everything was worth it because I knew that I had made an impact.
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Physical and Mental Health
Sex and Relationships
Homelessness and Poverty

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