Senate Resolution No. 504

BY: Senator PARKER

COMMENDING FACE Africa upon the occasion of
hosting its Annual WASH Gala, a Clean Water Benefit,
on March 25, 2023

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to call attention
to those events which serve to enhance the cultural enrichment and
preserve the heritage of Africa; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
commend FACE Africa upon the occasion of hosting its Annual WASH Gala, a
Clean Water Benefit, on Saturday, March 25, 2023, at Current in New
York, New York; and

WHEREAS, The FACE Africa WASH Gala is held annually to raise
awareness and funds for clean water projects for marginalized
communities in remote regions of Sub-Saharan Africa; it is also a
celebration of Africans and Friends of Africa making a difference in
their respective industries and communities; and

WHEREAS, FACE Africa was established after the Liberian civil war
that took the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and displaced
millions; the country suffered massive destruction and the very fabric
of society was torn apart; and

WHEREAS, With an 80% unemployment rate, extreme poverty with average
earnings of $1 a day, no electricity, no running water or sewage system,
and an inadequate education system, the country had enormous needs; and

WHEREAS, At the young age of eight, Saran Kaba Jones and her own
family were forced to flee the devastation; in 2008, she returned to her
homeland and was deeply distressed by the acute poverty and the
debilitating effect it had on the young, elderly, weak and strong; and

WHEREAS, Saran Kaba Jones and other volunteers formed FACE Africa to
help the people of Liberia to reclaim the means to build a better life
and proper; they discovered one of the major impediments to education
was the lack of access to safe drinking water; it was estimated there
would be 272 million more school attendance days per year if adequate
investment were made in drinking water and sanitation; and

WHEREAS, In Africa alone, people spend over 40 billion hours every
year, walking for water; poverty is directly related to the
accessibility of clean drinking water, without it, the chances of
breaking out of the poverty trap are extremely slim; and

WHEREAS, The social and economic consequences of unsafe water
penetrate into realms of education, opportunities for gainful
employment, physical strength and health, agricultural and industrial
development, and thus the overall productive potential of a community,
nation, and/or region; the United Nations estimates Sub-Saharan Africa
alone loses 40 billion potential work hours per year collecting water;
and


WHEREAS, Team FACE Africa is part of a generation that shares a deep
commitment to creating an equitable and sustainable world in which
everyone has access to opportunity and basic human needs; and

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when
organizations of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our
attention, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens
of this great Empire State; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend FACE Africa upon the occasion of hosting its Annual WASH Gala, a
Clean Water Benefit, on March 25, 2023; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to FACE Africa.