ACF’s work focuses on three main initiatives: Cultural Preservation, Community Health, and Education.
With strong partnerships, communities are served at a grass-roots level while ACF and local associations maintain a high level of accountability to government agencies, community partners, and development organizations. ACF acts as a liaison for specialized and skilled organizations to facilitate strategic partnerships between local community associations and regional government agencies. Through these partnerships, ACF, organizations, local associations, and government agencies are able to provide innovative strategies to develop, implement, and monitor programs in a geographically, culturally, and socially isolated region.
ACF along with its president and founder, Cloe Medina Erickson, has been supporting development projects in the Zawiya Ahansal region of Morocco since 2006. ACF has an official partnership with the Moroccan Ministry of Culture and is currently finalizing formal agreements with the Moroccan Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education. It is the first organization to bring government partnerships to local development work in the region. All of ACF’s work is in partnership with the local Moroccan association Amezray SMNID.
In addition to the main program goals of cultural preservation, community health, and education and literacy ACF works on small scale community development projects as needs arise in the region.
Since 2006 ACF and its partners have completed the following side projects in the region of Zawiya Ahansal.
Taghia School Restoration Project Through a partnership with The North Face and the Global Giving Foundation ACF worked with locals and teachers in the remote village of Taghia on the restoration of the village’s primary school. Due to the extreme remote location of the village, the Moroccan government has been unable to continue much needed maintenance on the two room schoolhouse. A group of The North Face athletes worked closely with architect and ACF Founder Cloe Medina Erickson to put a new roof on the school and install a wood stove.
Shepherd’s Trail Rehabilitation Project – Mount Ouajdad As a result of increased trekking and climbing tourism in the mountains surrounding Zawiya Ahansal the traditional stone and wood trails that traverse the steep cliffs have been eroded from over use. The North Face athlete team installed safety chain on the most dangerous part of the trails that circumnavigate Jbel Ouajdad. In addition, they reinforced the traditional trail bridge, made of stone and tree branches, with cement and rebar.
Potable Drinking Water – Village of Amezray The village of Amezray lies four to five kilometers from the region’s springs which provide potable water to the residents. Through a partnership with the local association Amezray SMNID, ACF laid five kilometers of pipe to bring potable water to six families that were living without access to clean and safe drinking water.