[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 16441-16442]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE TO THE AFRICAN SERVICES COMMITTEE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOSE E. SERRANO

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 8, 2016

  Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure and admiration 
that I stand before you today to honor African Services Committee, Inc. 
for their many years of selfless and compassionate service to the 
African community, and all of our community's residents.
  Founded in 1981 by Ethiopian refugees to give a helping hand to other 
newcomers, today African Services is a multiservice agency based in 
Harlem and dedicated to assisting immigrants, refugees and asylees from 
across the African Diaspora.
  Their programs address the needs of newcomers affected by war, 
persecution, poverty, and global health inequalities. The agency 
provide health, housing, legal, educational, and social services to 
12,500 people each year. Staff representing more than 20 countries and 
speaking over 25 languages provide culturally and linguistically 
relevant support to this diverse and growing community.
  Expanding HIV prevention and access to AIDS treatment and care is 
central to their mission. African Services has taken this work from 
Harlem to the frontlines of the global pandemic and now operates five 
HIV clinics in Ethiopia.
  African Services Committee was started in 1981 in a Bronx basement 
apartment by Asfaha Hadera. Asfaha arrived in the United States having 
experienced first-hand the realities of refugee life. Asfaha fled his 
home country of Ethiopia in 1977 for refugee camps in Sudan, before 
emigrating to the U.S. in 1979.
  Upon arrival, he saw a lack of assistance for others, like himself, 
who were refugees from conflicted areas throughout Africa. So, he 
established the organization to give a helping hand to other African 
newcomers and, with Kim Nichols, began refugee resettlement programs in 
New York City. As immigration from the continent increased, their 
offices expanded to their current home in West Harlem, and African 
Services' priorities widened to include broader support services for 
African immigrants coming to the United States including, but not 
limited to: HIV/STD/TB/Hepatitis B and C testing, diabetes & blood 
pressure testing, legal services, immigration assistance, advocacy, and 
policy work.
  The services have expanded to serve over 12,000 people each year in 
their Harlem location and continue to grow each year. Though they are 
based in Harlem, they primarily service the African community in the 
Bronx.
  Mr. Speaker, I respectfully ask that you and my other distinguished 
colleagues join me in honoring African Services Committee, Inc. for 
their consistently remarkable dedication to servicing the African 
community.

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