SALUD. VIDA. FUTURO!
A SOAP RECYCLING AND
HEALTHCARE INITIATIVE
Here at Prospera we use soap recycling as a means of reducing illness and addressing poverty in rural Panama. We develop and support projects that promote health education, family stability, community development and better healthcare access.
Healthcare doesn’t happen by accident! It also doesn’t have to be expensive.
Kimberly Howard
Founder & Executive Director
Kimberly Howard founded Prospera after ten years of working with local people in Panama, first living in the country as a Peace Corps Volunteer, then returning annually as a medical interpreter with a cataract removal team.
Kimberly has worked for a myriad of social responsibility agencies like a community Eye Clinic, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, a Women’s healthcare office, and as a chef feeding the homeless. In all of these roles, she utilized her skills as a Spanish speaker to bridge language gaps and behave as a cultural broker.
After ten years of medical missions, Kimberly came to a considerable conclusion: Good health doesn’t happen by accident, but it also doesn’t have to be expensive. Mission medicine is a significant gift of time, energy, resources. It is also necessary because it teaches the value of compassion and empathy among vastly different landscapes. It does not often, however, instigate local change. Local populations continue to struggle with illness based on their environment, lack of healthcare access, or ability to afford better nutrition or medicine.
The mission and vision of Prospera address the cycle of “broke and sick” populations within Panama. Suffering is something that cannot be unseen, and feeling powerless to stop it motivated her to do more.
As a young person, Kimberly was shaped by her earliest experiences in Girl Scouts that fostered her concern for others. As a professional in humanitarian aide, she wants to encourage you that your voice and ideas can reshape the world. If you have a passion for change, Kimberly invites you to contact her and become a part of Prospera’s drive for a better future.