About The Afya Foundation 

Afya is a unique medical supply recovery organization (MSRO) that collects surplus medical supplies from healthcare centers in the United States and ships these critical materials to public health missions in African and Caribbean nations. Our regional network of medical suppliers and volunteers allows Afya to meet immediate humanitarian needs in countries devastated by natural disasters, international conflicts and supports our long-term programs to address chronic health disparities in developing nations. By reducing the amount of unused medical supplies generated in the US, Afya promotes efficient healthcare practices at home while sustaining life abroad.

 

Accomplishments

•  $26 million worth of life-saving supplies delivered to 65 countries across the world.

•  7 millionpounds of life-saving supplies diverted from American landfills or waste incinerators and delivered abroad.

•   18940-foot custom-packed containers shipped abroad to support ongoing health care capacity projects.

•   500 50-lb Luggage for Life duffel bags carried and delivered abroad by travelers.

•   1.7 million pounds in 90 deliveries of disaster relief supplies sent to the Philippines immediately after Typhoon Haiyan, to Haiti, Japan and Nepal in the wake of their respective earthquakes, to Pakistan after its devastating floods and to the Metro-NY area following Superstorm Sandy.

•  415,000 pounds in 14 deliveries of medical supplies to support frontline healthcare workers and patients during the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone and Liberia and the Cholera outbreak in Haiti.

•  980,000 pounds in 36 deliveries of acutely needed supplies at refugee camps in the Middle East and Medical Centers in Greece.

•  6,931 patients treated in Afya Rehabilitation Clinics in Port au Prince, Haiti since the 2010 earthquake.

•  33Haitian men and women employed by Afya as adaptive builders and rehab technicians in Port au Prince.

•  29 groupsproviding services to “at-risk” children and adults volunteer at the Afya warehouse each week, including Cerebral Palsy of Westchester, Family Services of Westchester, YAI, Westchester ARC, Devereux, Westchester School for Special Children, Manhattan Children’s Center and Special Citizens.

•  6 students are enrolled in our Biotech Training Course at the warehouse.

 

 

 

 

 

Grants and Partnerships

•  Joint Distribution Committee –$490,000 in grants to support the Haiti rehabilitation-training program and network of rehabilitation clinics.

•  Robin Hood Foundation–$200,000 grant to assist healthcare centers in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens in the wake of Super Storm Sandy.

•  Carvel Foundation–$150,000 in grants to expand our volunteer program to include children from “at-risk” youth groups and after school programs.

•   City of Yonkers Department of Planning and Development –$50,000for warehouse facilities improvements.

•    Joint Distribution Committee –$175,000 in grants to support disaster relief initiatives and delivery of supplies to Haiti, Japan, Nepal, Pakistan and Sierra Leone.

•   EMCB –$198,000 in grants to support the Haiti rehabilitation-training program and network of rehabilitation clinics.

•  Jewish Coalition for Disaster Relief–$120,000to provide medical supplies to providers at refugee camps in the Middle East and to front line healthcare workers and hospitals in Lesvos, Greece.

•  Relief Partners-During times of worldwide disaster, Afya is a first responder and partners with remarkable organizations, including: Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA), 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, AIRLINK, Alan Aid, Citibank, Global Links, Health and Hospital Corporation of New York, LIFT, Nepalese Red Cross, Office of Emergency Management (OEM) New York, Philippine Red Cross, Scan Shipping, Team Rubicon and This Time Foundation,

 

Corporate Social Responsibility

Afya offers corporations opportunities for holistic engagement in the process of making a change in international health care from beginning to end. Partners Include:

·         MasterCard

·         Crown Relocation

·         Health First

·         Hogan Lovell

·         Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

·         Team Rubicon

·         Westhab

 

General Shipments

We work with doctors, nurses and administrators on the ground in African, Latin American and Caribbean nations to ascertain the specific needs of healthcare centers in these regions. This information allows us to customize the medical supply shipments so that each public health mission receives the exact equipment that it requires. Our model recognizes that not all hospitals and clinics abroad face the same public health conditions and our extensive inventory allows us to tailor our shipments to each partner on the ground. Since 2008, Afya has shipped 189 40-foot containers of medical supplies to 65 countries around the world. 

 

 

 

 

Disaster Relief 

Afya maintains a large network of donor hospitals and an active volunteer program in our warehouse, which allows us to respond rapidly and efficiently to global health crises that arise after disasters. We were among the first organizations shipping medical and humanitarian aid to reputable partners on the ground in the Philippines, Nepal. Pakistan, Japan and Haiti after their devastating natural disasters.  At home, we received a $200,000 grant from The Robin Hood Foundation to supply community health clinics and federally qualified health centers with medical supply aid in the wake of Super Storm Sandy. In 2014, Afya managed shipments for frontline healthcare workers in Liberia (JFK Medical Center) and Sierra Leone (MOHS) fighting Ebola. Donated supplies to Sierra Leone were distributed to 13 different hospitals, health centers and health posts throughout the country.

 

 

 

Haiti Rehab Program

Shortly after the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Afya developed the first model for homecare and local access to rehab medicine in Port au Prince. The program began by training Haitians to become Rehab Techs or Adaptive Builders. Over the last four years, this program has grown to include a team of 33 Haitian Afya employees. Our staff travels to tented cities to evaluate patients and deliver homecare rehab services and products, thus alleviating challenges faced by people with disabilities. We also manage five rehab clinics throughout Port au Prince where we provide patients with weekly rehab medicine. Since the earthquake, the Afya staff has treated over 6,930 patients and completed over 3,750 adaptive building projects. 

 

 

Volunteer Program

Afya’s 12,000-ft² warehouse in Yonkers, NY serves as a community service center for students, religious institutions, corporations and neighborhood organizations. Each year we rely on over 2,500 volunteers who contribute a combined 20,0000 hours of service to inventory, sort and pack our medical supplies. The Afya warehouse is also one of the few organizations in our community that provides structured volunteer programs for individuals from mental health facilities, “at-risk” youth groups and back-to-work programs. Each week we host 29 volunteer groups from 10 different agencies that serve individuals with mental and physical disabilities in the NY-metro area.