USACF was founded in 2003 and as of this writing (May 2009) USACF has shipped 12 containers to Africa, delivered school books and supplies to over 100 schools in two countries, linked 75 New York City area schools with sister schools in Africa, presented our work to tens of thousands of American students, had our work mentioned in a variety of newspapers and books and was the recipient of numerous service awards. USACF has had an incredible six years. We have learned a great deal. Some things we have learned to do better. Some things we have learned never to do again. USACF is always ready to work with and support other service organizations wherever and whenever possible. Below are some of the organizations that we work with.

1. Organization of Rural Associations for Progress (ORAP)
ORAP is a 30 year old NGO dedicated to sustainable development and eradication of poverty in rural areas surrounding Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. ORAP was our first partner. We have grown up together. Today we bring schools supplies to 75 of their schools and have dramatically changed the lives of thousand of their students.

2. Empowerment of Children (EOC)
EOC's President, Beston Mwakalinga, came to see us shortly after reading about our program in Bill Clinton's book "Giving". He was desperately seeking help for schools in the Mbeya region of southern Tanzania. Beston won our hearts. We first decided to help him by finding 25 New York sister schools and purchasing a 40-foot storage container to hold all his donations. Later, we mutually agreed to absorb EOC into the USACF program. Beston is now on the USACF board. We work together to help Tanzanian schools obtain the books and materials they need to provide a quality education.

3. Mbeya Educator's Network
When USACF started its program in the Mbeya area of Tanzania no formal support organization was in place. It was only after we met with representatives from 25 schools that MEN was voted into existence. Today there are three powerful committees that run the program. The executive committee oversees the education components of the program. They coordinate instruction in all academic areas utilizing the materials sent by USACF. The container committee breaks down and distributes the contents of each shipment fairly and equitably. It is not uncommon for the container committee to sleep in the warehouse where the shipment is delivered for seven consecutive days until every box is opened, its contents sorted and then inventoried. The third committee, the pig committee, is responsible for USACF's first micro-economic project. Six breeding pigs were purchased five months ago. It is hoped that by the end of the year we will have at least 20 piglets and then more and more each year. Profits from this business will go directly to the schools.

4. Village Hope, Inc
Village Hope, Inc is based in Boise, Idaho and Lunsar, Sierra Leone. Their goal is to help poor, rural communities achieve sustainable improvements in health, education, and economic development. Its president is Jon Bart. Once again Clinton's book served as a catalyst. Jon called us after reading "Giving". At the time Jon had no connection to Sierra Leone, but was looking to get involved in meaningful work in Africa. At about the same time we were contacted by Humphrey Sonny who was looking for people to support his work in Sierra Leone. We put the two together and they shortly afterward established Village Hope. Look up their web site at  www.villagehopeinc.org and read about all they have accomplished. They are presently working with a group from MIT to build six schools using local materials. USACF hopes to one day use their expertise to build additional classrooms in Zimbabwe and Tanzania. USACF has helped send two hundred boxes of books to Sierra Leone.

5. Council for Zimbabwe
The mission of the Council of Zimbabwe is to engage and organize the Diaspora of Zimbabwe to mobilize financial, human, and material resources for the reconstruction of a peaceful, prosperous, and progressive Zimbabwe. USACF has worked closely with the Zim Council over the last two years.  We have attended each others meetings, helped ship supplies to some of their schools and helped organize events. Web site - www.zimcouncil.org

6. Hope Children's Fund
The Hope Children's Fund supports a children's community center in Meru, Kenya. USACF has work with Larry Hohler, one of the main organizers of the program, for many years. Larry has supplied USACF with hundreds of books. USACF has helped the Hope Children's Fund secure a 40-foot container and helped advise them how to load and ship the container to Kenya. Web site - www.hopechildrensfund.org

7. Kenya Education Fund
Bradley Broder is the executive director of KEF. The Kenya Education Fund is a registered 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization dedicated to helping underprivileged Kenyans improve their lives by giving them the opportunity to finish high school and acquire the skills they need to be healthy and successful members of our global community. USACF has worked with KEF by linking them with Hope Children's Fund and Positive Planet. All three groups will share the cost of shipping a container to Nairobi, Kenya.  Web site - www.kenyaeducationfund.org

8. Positive Planet 
A quality education for all of the world's children is the vision of Positive Planet. Established in 2003, Positive Planet has begun its work creating and supporting dynamic partnerships between school communities in the United States and rural Uganda. Positive Planet was founded by Marc Sklar and Michael Greene. Web site - www.positiveplanet.net  

9. New York City Department of Education
The NYCDOE is the lynch pin in our efforts to supply African schools with the books and materials they need. More than 75 New York and Connecticut schools have extensively donated used textbooks and other supplies. It is not uncommon after doing two or three assembly presentations at a school that the students will be so motivated by the project that they will bring in more than 100 boxes of notebooks, pens, toys, clothing, toiletries and sports equipment. Schools are also asked to fund raise to help cover the costs of the $10,000 shipments and teacher scholarships. Some schools raise more than a thousand dollars a year. It should be noted that many schools chose not to raise any funds. One of the major achievements of our program is the enlightenment and the empowerment of American children to our cause.

10. New York Kiwanis and Key Clubs
Because of Mark Grashow’s three decade involvement with the Abraham Lincoln High School Key Club, he naturally turned to Key Clubs when seeking to involve high schools in our sister school recruitment. Ten of our American high school sister schools originally got involved through their Key Clubs. This past year the New York Key Club District selected USACF to be one of its ten charities. Clubs from all over New York sent us donations of school supplies. Whenever we load our 40-foot containers for Africa we call on the Key Club students from Lincoln, Midwood, Stuyvesant and Brooklyn Tech high schools to help us. This often takes up to six hours. The Mapleton Kiwanis Club and the Coney Island Kiwanis Club have also been amazing sources of help over the last decade.

11. Hemingway Safaris
USACF directly supports Brian Gaisford's efforts in Africa. Brian works with Zulu students in the Ncepheni School located in Zululand, South Africa and the Cabrini Orphanage in Swaziland. Brian has donated materials for our schools in Zimbabwe and is also organizing a tent safari/school trip to Tanzania in August of 2009 for 16 people. Brian's African Gallery is located at 1050 2nd Avenue in Manhattan.

12. Temple Isaiah in Los Angles
The congregation of Temple Isaiah annually raises fund to support our level "A" tutorial in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Their funding pays for the teachers, the transportation and the food for 50 of Zimbabwe's brightest high school students. These students gather twice a year at ORAP headquarters to be tutored and tested in preparation of their "A" exams. The program has been overwhelming successful. We have had amazing results. The USACF/ORAP pass rate sometimes surpasses the private school success rate. This is unheard of in rural Zimbabwe.

13. Taconic Investment Partners
The Taconic Construction has generously supported our pen pal program by underwriting the cost of sending pen pal letters from New York to Africa and from Africa back to New York. Sending mail to Africa is an expensive undertaking and Taconics' involvement allows us to keep the project running.

14. United Nations Association of Pasadena
Last year the United Nations Association of Pasadena flew Mark Grashow to California to meet with their organization. Mabel Obi and Amjad Khanmohammed spearheaded their efforts to send containers of school supplies to Nigeria. Shortly after Mark left they purchased a 40-foot container and were lining up schools to participate in their program.

15. Frederick Douglass Creative Arts Center
Two years ago, Raymond Gaspard, met with Mark Grashow and Sheri Saltzberg, to discuss ways of getting school supplies to Ghana. Subsequently on their next trip to Zimbabwe Mark and Sheri stopped off at Accra, Ghana to meet with school representatives. Judith Sawyerr took them to see six schools and to meet with officials. Upon their return to New York, FDCAC purchased a 40-foot container and had it placed with USACF's containers in Floyd Bennett Field. Today that container is about one third filled and FDCAC hopes to send the container by the end of the year.

16. Goldman Sachs & Co.
Each year Goldman Sachs employees are encouraged to volunteer for meaningful community service. For the last three years 25 to 30 Goldman Sachs workers have gathered in the early morning hours at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn to help transfer 1,400 boxes of donations from a 40-foot storage container to a seagoing container. It is hard work, but quite rewarding. Every box we send changes a life somewhere in Africa. It is a great partnership. We look forward to working with Goldman Sachs for many years to come.