African Cultural Alliance Of North America Inc. (Acana)

The African Cultural Alliance of North America Inc. (ACANA) is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ACANA serves African and Caribbean immigrants by providing access to a variety of free or low cost services including social and legal services, community development programs, free health screenings, emergency food services, African arts and culture events and more. The mission of ACANA is to help refugees, immigrant families and all other residents of Philadelphia access social services with a special focus on women, children, youth and the elderly in their resettlement process in Pennsylvania. ACANA also produces and presents African cultural performances and recording artists to create an awareness of African arts and culture. ACANA was founded in 1999 by a group of African musicians who sought to help establish themselves in the United States as artists. By the early 2000s however, the organization expanded its goals to include providing social, health and legal services for the growing African immigrant and refugee community in Philadelphia. Today, ACANA provides a variety of services that encourage education, community development and integration while still preserving cultural values. We provide a wide range of services that address many or most of the needs of African and Caribbean immigrants in Philadelphia and at our branch in Maryland. Our services include: • adult education courses, • free health screenings and access to various social and health services through or collaboration with the African Diaspora Health Initiative • community development programming & building rehabilitation, • access to job training, preparation & assistance, • recording studio services, • legal and migration services, • emergency food for needy or low income persons • facility and hall rental • arts and culture activities programming.