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Corridor Revitalization and ACANA CDC

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The ACANA Corridor Revitalization project

The ACANA Corridor Revitalization project objective is to improve the quality of life, employment opportunities and entrepreneurial opportunities for very low, low and moderate-income individuals and very low, low and moderate-income neighborhoods. Recognizing the importance of Philadelphia’s small business sector in achieving the foregoing, ACANA is a recipient of a grant from the Philadelphia Department of Commerce allowing ACANA to assist the City by using a culturally competent community organizing and business development strategy that aims to support the revitalization of three commercial corridors in Southwest Philadelphia: Chester, Woodland and Elmwood Avenues. ACANA brings knowledge of immigrant business and trade and merges opportunity of cultural rehabilitation to successfully bridge both practices and create vibrant businesses on corridors that create jobs, taxable income and community improvement and development. ACANA will target these primary areas: the 5100-5800 blocks of Chester Avenue, Woodland Avenue between 61st and 68th street and the 6500-7400 blocks of Elmwood Avenue and the surrounding business areas.

Grounded in 6 Principles

The project is grounded in six (6) principles: Repositioning of Southwest Philadelphia into a welcoming area, Benefit and strengthen the diverse communities along the corridor, Link and foster economic opportunity, Improve the image and quality of life on the corridor, Collaborate from design to operation, Provide Services, Community Engagement, Economic Development Program

Providing Direct Assistance

ACANA will provide direct assistance to the aforementioned commercial corridors businesses, local neighborhood organizations, and its community residents. This is a concentrated effort to revitalize and bring needed resources to this low and moderate income community. ACANA will coordinate and attend commercial corridor meetings, distribute and collect surveys, provide workshops and solicit City resources to begin organizing and addressing the needs of each corridor. The meetings and surveys will begin to inform ACANA on the potential of creating an area business association.

Guidance for local business

The program will also produce a brochure of business responsibilities that will guide business owners to all appropriate City agencies to enforce existing sanitation, zoning and business laws, regulations and inspections. ACANA will provide technical assistance by way of referrals to businesses in need of support that will include but not be limited to: financing, merchandising, and business expansion.

Connecting with financial institutions

Our program will help to connect with financial institutions (i.e. banks, other financial institutions, KIVA) to obtain financing for business start-up, expansion, working capital, and real estate for business uses. The corridor team will work with technical assistance providers such as Finanta, Score, the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians, Women’s Opportunity Resource Center and The Enterprise Center, who will assist with services that include legal assistance, business planning, accounting, tax preparation; merchandising, window displays, sales promotions, public relations and inventory.

Stregthen and grow healthy businesses

The goal of the assistance is to strengthen and grow healthy businesses which will in turn increase employment and the availability of goods and services. The benefit and impact achieved will be retention or creation of jobs or increased availability of goods and services. ACANA shall maintain documentation of this assistance.

For More Information

For more information on the ACANA corridor revitalization project or the ACANA Community Development Corporation,
please contact program coordinator Musa Trawally at 215-729-8225 extension 112 or mtrawally@acanaus.org.

ACANA Will Work Closely with WURD Radio

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ACANA will produce monthly shows with WURD Radio

Recently, ACANA is partnering with WURD Radio to bring a monthly radio segment to the ACANA audience. The first few interviews have already taken place and are available here! Take an exclusive listen to the first three episodes of the radio show hosted by Mr. David Barnes.

Episode 1:

 

Episode 2:

 

Episode 3:

Taking A Closer Look: The ACANA CDC Program

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Sharing cultural experiences throughout Philadelphia

Philadelphia commercial corridors especially, the Southwest Philadelphia section of the city are becoming safer. The Corridor is becoming a place where family, residents, and visitors shop and exchange cultural morals and foods.

The ACANA CDC, which is funded by the Office of Neighborhood Economic Development of Philadelphia Department of Commerce, has contract to manage three corridors primary Woodland, Elmwood and Chester Avenues.

The Philadelphia Commerce Department targeted corridor management and  cleaning program as an opportunity to make these commercial corridors culturally friendly for visitors, residents and the business community.

This opportunity for the development of the corridor is receiving national and international attention, in this regard ACANA CDC has received visitors from around the United States to tour these culturally busy commercial corridors. The visitors coming on Woodland Avenue and other commercial avenues in Southwest Philadelphia, leave with notable experiences and understanding of the different ethnic food and other products from Africa.

Visitors to the community interacted freely with immigrants and business owners, residents, and shoppers on the streets and are amazed at the different ethnic food products been sold on the corridors. These products created a level of curiosity in the minds of the visitors and raised many questions.

Above Mr. Voffee Jabateh explained to the visitors the different ethnic food products in a store on Woodland Avenue

There are many questions surrounding the origin of ethnic food products found on the corridor and how they are made.  Visitors are curious to know how possibly they could replicate these type of commercial businesses in their respective cities and towns around the United States.

One these visit occurred on July 4 2017 at which time the CEO of ACANA, Voffee Jabateh who is an immigrant and a Liberian native; quickly explained the usage of the various types of ethnic food products displayed in the stores. He told the visitors, “In order to create such a culturally and integrated commercial corridors in your respective cities and towns’ the cities and township and residents are to be immigrants friendly and culturally adaptable.” The tour ended at Le Mandingue African Restaurant on Woodland Avenue.

 

ACANA works with the Philadelphia Street Department

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ACANA works with the Philadelphia Street Department

The Philadelphia Street Department Spring Clean-up campaign was a concerted success. The effort in Southwest Philadelphia and other parts of the city was coordinated citywide by the Philadelphia Street Department.  The Southwest Philadelphia effort was speared headed by the African Cultural Alliance of North America Inc (ACANA) CDC, in collaborations with several community organizations which included the Liberian Mandingo Association of Pennsylvania, and the Quardu-Gboni Association in the Americas. These organizations mobilized community members to show up for the beautification effort on Saturday, April 14, 2018.

Jubilant crowd takes a picture at the end of the clean-up event

 

The participants came together to cleanup Southwest communities and other parts of the City. The one-day event converged several community members together to beautify the community. Several streets benefited from the efforts along with the main business corridors. The Mount Mariah cemetery and alleyways

Contributors  primarily consisted of immigrants, mainly Africans and other migrant residents of Southwest Philadelphia Many of those participating in the effort felt the need to lend a helping hand in order to  facelift the community.

Many expressed that the  beautifications  of Southwest Philadelphia should not be a one day event and not the sole  responsibility of the Philadelphia Street Department, but should include residents business owners and other  properties owners and business.

The group included males, females, young people, and the elderly people all jubilant and eager during the cleaning process at the end the efforts commercial corridors and alleyways in Southwest appeared inviting to Tourists, shoppers and other visitors.

Southwest Philadelphia is emerging as the “African Town”, a concept that is gaining attraction. Residents hopeful  that as a  gateway to the City of Philadelphia, Southwest will take its rightful place as a respected community and inviting to  visitors and tourists coming through Philadelphia International Airport and Interstate I-195.  Therefore, keeping the streets and the environment clean will create a decent image for all Philadelphians.

 

 

 

Revitalizing Southwest Philadelphia’s Commercial Corridor

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The Flags Project:

With consensuses from stakeholders, business owners, and the council people of Southwest Philadelphia, the authorities at the Commerce Department has granted the approval to hoisting the international emblems intended to honorably beautify Woodland Avenue Commercial Corridor and to symbolize  nationalities living or conducting businesses on the corridor, as part of Commercial Corridor Revitalization Project of Southwest Philadelphia. The African Cultural Alliance of North America Inc, (ACANA) is the implementing partners.

On September 15, 2017, Director Curtis Gregory of the Commerce Department, accompanied by high power Commerce Department officials including Directors Karen Fegely, Mr. Rojer Kern and others deputized for Director Harold Epps to tour ACANA CDC Commercial Corridor managing area in order to acquaint themselves with progress and challenges.  Mr. Voffee Jabateh represented the ACANA CDC; Mr. Stephen Kiznicki represented the Southwest Phila CDC during the visit. Musa Trawally and Moivabah Fofana represented the Commercial Corridor, at which time a meeting was formally held at the ECOWAS RESTAURANT at 6421 Woodland Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The meeting at the ECOWAS Restaurant was held under peaceful atmosphere where frank exchanges of views with representatives of businesses present went smoothly. Some representatives of businesses who attended the occasion included Makula Dukuly, Ismael Donzo, Mohammed Kaba, Raifat Ahmad, Hawa Kromah, Mamie K. Sardnee, Musa Barry, Mariam Bamba, Memunah Kamara, Fanta Jarbe, Kristopher Phipps, Fabric Queen, Fatumah Sheriff, Nvanbuley Quisia, Madegbeh Kromah, Lasana S. Kromah, Souraghata Semega of WORC and Page Hug of Finata financial groups and many others that attended the meeting later. During the meeting, the Corridor Administrator, Musa Trawally, presented ACANA’s achievements for the year and the future goals through a Power Point Presentation to the audience. A meeting which started at 9:00AM ended after 12:30 P.M. and a tour of some business houses and kindergarten and nursery schools, whose administrators thanked the Director and his team for the visits, and also presented their individual problems facing businesses, which the Director promised would be presented to the Director proper for his reactions.

Director: Curtis Gregory deputized for Director Epps, and he addressed the audience:

Musa Trawally presented ACANA’s corridors achievements and future goals to the audience.

 

Director: Karen Fegely explained commercial corridors objectives:

ACANA CEO, Voffee Jabateh responding to questions from business owners:

Business owners network with the director his team

 

Our partnership approach

ACANA strongly believe that small business growth and survival depends on access to knowledge and resources: This is what informs our partnership approach resulting to $167,000 in grants and loans, 100% SIP funding for Chester Avenue businesses. ACANA in collaboration with Women Opportunity Resource Center (WORC) Organized a Micro-Business Day Event, where more than 200 business owners participated

ACANA’s Corridor management initiative going forward!

 Construct a Diversity Arch on Woodland Avenue to symbolize diversity and create attraction in Southwest Philadelphia.

Modernizing Bus Stops with ability to charge portable electronic device on the Commercial Corridors

NEW PROJECT ALERT!

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NEW PROJECT LAUNCHED AT ACANA

Female Genital Cutting/ Mutilation (FGC/M), Project BAOBAB

Project “BAOBAB” is a program of the African Cultural Alliance Inc. (ACANA). This program is federally funded through the Office of Women’s Health, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is a community health care and prevention initiative with special focus on African immigrant and refugee women’s health. The primary focus is Female Genital Cutting/ Mutilation, (FGC/M).

Partners include the African Diaspora Health Initiative (ADHI) who will conduct community based outreach, culturally and linguistically appropriate peer led health education services to at least 200 immigrant women resettled from sub-Saharan Africa residing in Philadelphia and surrounding counties. The program will also provide training and education for health care providers. Other health partners include the Philadelphia Department of Public Health which will serve as the primary focus of the health care provider training component of the project.

Through this program, women will have the opportunities to know about the adverse effects (FGC/M) have not only on their reproductive and sexual life but in their overall enhanced functioning as well.  To this end, women will have more information to make a decision, should the need arise, on whether to subject their daughters to such a procedure and to be part of a community-wide change that advocate for abandoning the practice. Well informed health care practitioners will have the knowledge to provide quality health care for the female members who have experienced FGC/M.  ACANA will additionally advocate for the protection of these women who have experienced this inhume practice.

Female Genital Cutting (FGC) which is sometimes called mutilation or circumcision,  includes all procedures involving partial or total removal of the female external genitalia or other injury, to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. This practice is a fundamental human rights issue with adverse health and social implications.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC), Philadelphia ranks in the top 10 among other major U. S. cities with about  16,500 females mostly from Sub Saharan Africa potentially at risk for FGC/M. Available estimates In the United States, suggest that more than 513,000 girls and women have experienced FGC or are at risk of FGC.  The World health Organization (WHO) states that more than 200 million girls and women alive today have been cut in 30 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia where FGC is concentrated.

This project is part of a three year grant from the Office of Women’s Health, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded to eight organizations across the country, including ACANA and Nationalities Service Center both of whom are located in the Philadelphia region.

Survey participants will be seen at ACANA offices on Mondays to Thursdays 10:00 am -6:00 PM

Participants will also be identified in the communities and provided with information, referrals and resources.

ACANA nurse will hold a clinic day once a week at ACANA offices on Mondays and make referrals to African Diaspora Health Initiative (ADHI).

Health education workshops highlighting FGC will be held once a month at ACANA offices and in the community.

Contact: Program Manager Nettie Johnson: Tel: 215-729-8225 ext. 112, Email: nettiejohnson@acanaus.org  

ACANA: 5530 Chester Avenue, 2nd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19143

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