Empowering Communities Near & Far

In Africa, Claire is committed to finding sustainable solutions to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. She is specifically interested in Shompole, an area in southwestern Kenya that has an AIDS infection rate nearly twice as high as the rest of the country.

As the chairwoman of the AIDS Initiative Committee at Washington University in St. Louis, Claire and committee members work with a non-governmental organization called “Mabisho.” Mabisho was started by members of the Shompole community in an effort to increase HIV/AIDS education, awareness, and prevention in the area. The University AIDS committee primarily works to help fund Mabisho’s initiatives. The group has raised funds to establish forums for men and women to discuss HIV/AIDS-related issues, and to make HIV testing kits more widely available. Long-term goals of the committee include improved medical care and transportation to and from medical facilities.

Claire is proud of the work that she and the committee have done to help the African community, but realizes her limitations as a foreigner to the area.

“I guess you could say that I want to be an enabler for these people in the best sense of the word,” Claire says. “Good intentions don’t always translate. We want them to be the ones to implement their initiatives because they’re more aware of their needs than any one else.”

She subscribes to the same philosophy self empowerment no matter where she is working to bring about positive change. Since her freshman year, she has volunteered three afternoons a week mentoring underprivileged children at an after-school program called “Kids’ Place,” which is located near the Danforth Campus. Her work there has provided a positive and hands-on experience toward community empowerment.

“Education is one of the most important factors for these children,” she says, “and Kids’ Place is providing them with the means to make their own futures more promising.”

Thanks to the experiences she’s gained in working with Mabisho and Kids’ Place, Claire is able to see how her life can impact a community and how it’s related to the larger world.

“I’ve traveled a lot and have always been interested in different cultures,” she says. “I’m especially interested in Africa, so I’m now taking courses that focus on that part of the world and the issues important to its people, such as healthcare and education.”

As a student majoring in International & Area Studies (IAS) in Arts & Sciences, Claire is able to develop a broad understanding of the world, while focusing on a specific area in which she’s interested. For her, that area is Africa. IAS students are able to develop a unique body of knowledge because they take courses from a variety of departments, such as anthropology, comparative literature, history, political science, religion, and sociology.

“I’m able to make my major exactly what I want because I’m able to take a lot of diverse courses,” she says, “but they all have a focus.”

This fall Claire will attend classes in the West African nation of Mali. She knows that much of her education will come during trips to rural villages and cities, where she plans to continue taking an active role in community programs that empower residents to work for a better future.

Although she doesn’t plan to travel to Kenya during this trip, she does plan to continue with the AIDS initiative project and knows her experience in other parts of Africa will provide invaluable knowledge and experience.

“I know I can’t go out there and just fix the world,” Claire says, “but I’m interested in what I can do with all that I have.”