Like almost every other Puget Sound first-year student, I entered pre-med. And like almost every one of these students, I will not be applying to medical school next year. Was it the O-Chem that changed my mind? Nope, although 8 o’clock organic chemistry was brutal (to say the least), it wasn’t what changed my mind. I have learned a lot about myself through my experience at Puget Sound, especially my leadership experience in ASUPS (student government), and although it might necessitate med school one day, I want to go into international public health. I want to be a leader, working with organizations that deal with the AIDS crisis in Africa.

I believe that everyone is born with a passion for something, and mine is for the study of HIV/AIDS. Since I was 15, I have made a concerted effort to study this crisis. In less than three decades, the spread of the AIDS virus has caused a worldwide pandemic, killing more than 32 million people, ripping apart families and political systems, and creating the greatest public health disaster the world has ever known. The area most substantially affected by AIDS is Sub-Saharan Africa, where more than 25 million people have HIV/AIDS.

This summer I had the opportunity to study the organizations that are doing groundwork in Africa, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). I wanted to do something surrounding the AIDS issue and these organizations, so I applied for a summer research grant from the university. I originally wanted to look at larger organizations but quickly realized that I would have little personal contact with members. I chose to look at small organizations because I wanted to talk with people who had personal experience.

These groups are filled with inspirational people whose passion to do something has taken shape in concrete programs globally. I have always put these organizations on a pedestal, assuming that they were the best possible way to curb this crisis. The questions I studied this summer challenged this assumption. I looked closely at the costs and benefits of having the NGOs (rather than the state) doing the work. Because many African states can not, or will not, appropriately deal with the crisis, NGOs are the primary suppliers of community support, medical help, and education.

Lured by free laundry and the chance to spend a week at home, I chose my case study from my hometown of Bellingham, Wash. The Slum Doctor Programme is a small nonprofit that raises money from the Bellingham community to donate to a variety of projects in Kenya. Through looking at the functioning of this organization, I was able to find out what the typical NGO encounters while working in AIDS-stricken countries in Africa. There are many unfortunate situations that the typical NGO encounters, such as state-level corruption, resistance to behavior change, and a giant gender gap.

So, every morning this summer, I would roll out of bed, decide which coffee shop to study at, and read and read and read. I learned about everything from the biological beginnings of the virus to the political economy of the situation. The literature on NGOs is just beginning to grow, as these organizations gain global legitimacy. There are many authors, much to my surprise, that denounce the work of NGOs. It was important for me to read these authors, as well as those who supported NGOs. Eventually, I wrote what amounts to the first draft of my honors thesis. As a result of this summer research, not only do I have a significant understanding of NGOs functioning in the AIDS situation in Africa, but there are several coffee shops in the greater Tacoma area that are aware of my penchant for a soy vanilla latte.

This research was at times depressing, but I was continually inspired by individuals like those in the Slum Doctor Programme who were involved in getting financial support and public recognition for the AIDS crisis. This project helped me in my long-term goals by providing me the opportunity to actively seek out interviews and to research a different aspect of the global AIDS crisis, and it also provided me a chance to learn about a subject not taught at Puget Sound. While I plan on getting some work experience after graduation this year and before applying to graduate schools for my master’s in public health, this research has opened my eyes to the struggles—and successes—of NGOs in this field. After this summer, I am more anxious than ever about doing my part to combat the AIDS pandemic.