Afya Foundation

PROFILE

The Afya Foundation improves global health by rescuing surplus medical supplies and delivering them to underserved health communities around the world. We do this by collecting discarded medical supplies and equipment from healthcare facilities that are turned in to customized shipments of life-saving material that improve healthcare worldwide. Our network of donors and volunteers enables Afya to meet immediate humanitarian needs in areas devastated by natural disaster or public health crises. Afya also supports long-term programs to address chronic health disparities. Our expertise matching surplus to need, intimate knowledge of the supply chain, and nimble approach to achieving results, is backed by our impeccable reputation and numerous awards. 

Afya takes pride in three areas of expertise:

RESCUE surplus materials encouraging environmental responsibility and sustainability. 

SORT donations with volunteers engaged in our unique, structured and meaningful programs. 

DELIVER quality requested materials increasing access to healthcare in underserved  

Volunteer Program

 Afya believes in the transformative power of service and welcomes ALL people with the capacity to give back and the desire to serve. Every year, over 2,500 volunteers come to the warehouse to sort, inventory and pack rescued surplus medical supplies. Afya volunteers come from local schools, religious groups, businesses, and community organizations that serve people with disabilities. Afya volunteers know that their hands are the last ones to touch these critical, life-saving medical supplies before they are put to use by medical professionals in places of need.

 The Afya Foundation’s robust volunteer program engages our surrounding communities with an opportunity to help others while helping themselves.  Afya strives to provide volunteer opportunities for people regardless of socio-economic status, physical, intellectual and/or psychiatric disability. The NY Metro area is an exciting region to serve because of its diverse population and the range of programs available for partnership. Afya is committed to the local community, partnering with over two dozen community-based organizations and schools in Westchester and New York City. Inclusiveness is key to ensuring all can make a difference when given the opportunity.

 Afya Founder and CEO, an Occupational Therapist, knew there was a need in the surrounding communities for opportunities for people to engage in volunteerism, particularly for those with disabilities.  Thus, she integrated such a program into Afya’s model of operations.  We know of no other opportunities for New Yorkers of all abilities to give back on a global scale.  

 We host weekly events at our warehouse where volunteers gather to help sort the medical supplies that we then deliver to health systems in need around the globe.  We also facilitate similar events off-site at the request of our partner organizations to ensure broader access – eliminating a critical barrier to volunteer participation.  Volunteers receive pre-vocational training. Occupational therapy (OT) students contribute their time to ensure the diverse needs of our volunteers are met. Afya is fortunate to host dozens of OT students, both masters and doctorate level, from all over the country.  Many are focused on a career serving people with disabilities and have helped Afya refine and create innovative strategies to better serve this population.  

 Achievements: 

• $37 million worth of life-saving supplies delivered to date.
• 10 million pounds of medical necessities diverted from our waste stream. 
• 2,100 Luggage For Life Bags delivered to healthcare systems by travelers. 
• 850 completed national and international health care capacity projects. 
• 345 containers of supplies delivered to partner organizations.
• 83 countries and territories received medical supplies.
• 37,902 volunteer hours completed in 2019 alone. 

 COVID

Afya also leveraged its agile model to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis in New York City. We played a key role in securing, coordinating, and distributing personal protective equipment (PPE) to frontline personnel during the peak of the crisis. Afya delivered over 57,500 pounds of PPE to healthcare workers to over 165 health care facilities, including 787,752 face masks.