Afya Foundation on Righteous Crowd this Week!
Afya Foundation delivers medical supplies and equipment to under resourced communities.
Afya Foundation
Improving Underserved Health Systems Around the World
In this week’s Torah portion, Ki Tisa, Moses conducts a census that commands each Israelite to give a half-shekel to build and maintain the Mishkan (Tabernacle). This highlights the importance of coming together as a community to give back. This week, we are supporting an organization that collects surplus medical supplies from hospitals and nursing homes and delivers them to underserved health systems around the world. Currently, Afya Foundation is working closely with long-term partners in Tanzania and Malawi to deliver these supplies to healthcare facilities preparing to serve patients impacted by COVID-19.
Read our interview below with Afya Foundation Founder and CEO, Danielle Butin. Thanks to Righteous Crowd member, Eduardo Bialostozky for suggesting this organization.
Why did you decide to start Afya Foundation?
Afya was born on a hot day in the Serengeti Plains in Tanzania, when I noticed a woman crying alone in a tent. I sat next to her and asked why she was so upset. She caught her breath, and said “I am a highly sought-after physician from London, I took a month off to volunteer here and work in the medical clinics. But they have nothing…absolutely nothing. I cannot save children from malaria because there are no IV bags of fluids, no supplies…its empty shelves in clinics.” Talking about how she felt, her tears came flooding back. In that dusty tent, I realized there are moments in life when another person’s pain is so raw we experience it as our own. It screams at us to do something. From my previous work experience in healthcare, I knew there was a regulation-driven surplus of medical supplies that would land in waste streams back in the states. Witnessing the profound shortfall in healthcare supplies in this incredible country, the idea for the Afya Foundation took hold.
How would you connect your organization to a Jewish value?
Afya's heart beats tikkun olam. We believe it is our responsibility to respond to those in need, wherever and whoever they may be. In a world facing increasing crises, we know we can help with the supplies needed for medical care and daily living. We believe that as a community comes together to help to repair the world, we also repair a part of ourselves.
What has surprised you about working with your organization?
The profound impact of asking people what they need (on the ground) and delivering it! Afya's intention is to help those who are committed to helping in their country, who choose to stay and be a provider of care for their local community. When their needs are answered and shelves are filled with supplies requested, everything improves! The bashert moments of a hospital abroad letting us know that they desperately need a piece of medical equipment and in that same day, a local hospital donating the exact item to Afya... beautiful!
What's the best part of your job and why?
The beauty and resilience found in chaos and some of lifespan's toughest of circumstances. Showing up with what people need, seeing them, taking their requests seriously and to heart, speaking and advocating on behalf of those often ignored.....it's an honor to speak for and help those who are rarely heard. Everyone deserves to live their life's story. Healthcare is a human right.
To learn more about Afya Foundation, click here.