Danielle Butin, Afya’s founder, spent the summer of 2007 traveling through Tanzania, meeting with numerous health workers who reported dire circumstances and severely limited medical resources. Health workers also reported being saddled with boxes of inappropriate medical supplies that neither matched the needs or capacity of the clinic.

These experiences had a profound impact on Ms. Butin, an Occupational Therapist and Global Health Advocate, who responded by creating The Afya Foundation. This organization is committed to providing an up to date computer-based inventory menu from which international health organizations and professionals can self-select medical supplies from the warehouse via the web that match the needs of recipient health centers/patients in Africa. These goods include consumables, sustainable equipment, medical office and community outreach supplies.

Inspired by the people she met, Ms. Butin named the foundation "Afya", which means good health in Swahili.