Welcome to ACANA
Who We Are
The African Cultural Alliance of North America Inc. (ACANA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ACANA serves African and Caribbean immigrants by providing access to social and legal services, community development programs, health services, organizing African arts and culture events, and an array of many other services.
Our Objective
ACANA’s objectives are to not only assist new residents in their adjustment and resettlement, but to help them become active participants in their new environments. In doing so, ACANA strongly believes in working with people of all backgrounds to build a better community.
Our Mission
The mission of ACANA is to help refugees, immigrant families and all other residents of Philadelphia access legal, health and other 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. To this end, we strive to promote the preservation of cultural values as well as support artists’ efforts to promote their own vocations in their new environment.
Our History
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 African immigrant and refugee community in Philadelphia. This expansion was due in large part to the influx of African refugees fleeing war in various West African countries, including Liberia, Sierra Leone and the Ivory Coast. Today, ACANA provides a variety of services that encourage education, community development and integration while still preserving cultural values.
What We Do
ACANA provides a wide range of social, legal, health, and community development services that address many or most of the needs of newly arriving or underserved African and Caribbean immigrants. ACANA provides most of these services at low and sometimes no cost to the consumer. And although based in Philadelphia, ACANA has a small branch in Maryland and serves clients throughout the United States from California to Minnesota to Rhode Island and beyond.
Some of the services we offer include:
Health Services
Free health screenings and access to various low cost social and health services
Legal
Legal assistance and migration services
Community
Community and business corridor development
Job Prep
Access to job training, preparation & assistance
Arts and Music
Recording studio services
Food Bank
Emergency food for needy or low income persons
Rental Services
Facility and hall rental
Arts and Culture
Arts and culture activities programming
Focus on the Youth
Youth arts programming
Arts & Culture
Arts & Culture: “Annual African Festival” Through a collaborative effort […]
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Community Development
As part of the community development department, ACANA provides two […]
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Legal & Immigration Services
The ACANA Legal & Immigration Services department specializes in immigration […]
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