congressional_record: CREC-2018-12-31-pt1-PgE1742-2
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| granule_id | date | congress | session | volume | issue | title | chamber | granule_class | sub_granule_class | page_start | page_end | speakers | bills | citation | full_text |
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| CREC-2018-12-31-pt1-PgE1742-2 | 2018-12-31 | 115 | 2 | HONORING THE AFYA FOUNDATION 10TH ANNIVERSARY | HOUSE | EXTENSIONS | HONORING | E1742 | E1742 | [{"name": "Eliot L. Engel", "role": "speaking"}] | 164 Cong. Rec. E1742 | Congressional Record, Volume 164 Issue 206 (Monday, December 31, 2018) [Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 206 (Monday, December 31, 2018)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E1742] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] HONORING THE AFYA FOUNDATION 10TH ANNIVERSARY ______ HON. ELIOT L. ENGEL of new york in the house of representatives Monday, December 31, 2018 Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an organization that has done tremendous work both locally and on the global stage for 10 remarkable years now, The AFYA Foundation. The vision for AFYA began to take shape in a tent in the Serengeti. It was 2008, and AFYA's founder, Danielle Butin, was in Tanzania. She saw a woman sitting in a tent crying, who said, ``I am a highly sought- after physician from London, I took a month off from my practice to come here to volunteer and work in medical clinics. But they have nothing . . . absolutely nothing. I cannot save children from malaria because there are no meds or IV bags of fluids. People come in with infected wounds, and I have nothing to treat them with.'' In that moment, Danielle was compelled to take action. She returned home and immediately put her familiarity with and experience in New York City healthcare to use--cold calling hospitals and asking about materials that are discarded. In January 2008 she launched AFYA, which means ``health'' or ``wellness'' in Swahili. Almost immediately, hospitals started donating supplies. Since they didn't have a warehouse to store the equipment and supplies, a semi- trailer sat for three weeks outside her home in Westchester County. These humble beginnings are what grew 10 years later into an organization with a staff of 14, 3,000 volunteers annually, and a 17,000 square foot warehouse in Yonkers. Today, AFYA continues to serve those in need with the same compassion that inspired its vision ten years ago on the African savannah. As the Congressman representing Yonkers and the Ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I couldn't be prouder of the work they have done and continue to do. I want to congratulate Danielle and the entire AFYA team on ten remarkable years and thank them for all they have done to better our community and world. |