b'Indigenous Communities Translating materialsRCAC worked with the Tribal Yupik Village of Akiachak under the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Solid Waste grant. Akiachak is a remote (no road system) traditional Yupik community located 400 miles west of Anchorage on the Kuskokwim River. The landfill there is unlined, unmanned and unfenced, and it needed an assessment to identify any contamination. Only 50 percent of the local households are served with running water. RCAC Rural Development Specialist Evelyn Agnus translated materials into the Indigenous Yupik language for Yupik-speaking communities to ensure TribalRCAC RuralAdvocacy trainingleaders can make the best decisions to govern their citizens.DevelopmentA Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation Rebuilding Better Grant enabled RCAC Specialist Evelynto launch a pilot advocacy program Cultural Lending Initiative Agnus translatedwith Native American entrepreneurs RCAC contracted with Roanhorse Consulting, LLC to partner with us tomaterials into thein New Mexico. RCAC will connect the entrepreneurs to a cohort of their peers design a Cultural Lending Initiative (CLI).Indigenous Yupikand other stakeholders. Through the CLI will deepen our impact through building collaborative partnershipslanguage forcohort, they will learn how to effectively advocate for themselves while educating and expanding our understanding andYupik-speakinglegislators about the challenges and knowledge of Indigenous communities, while increasing and diversifying ourcommunitiesbarriers to success that they face.investments in those communities.to ensure Tribal Ultimately, CLI and this process will helpleaders can make build mutual trust and relationships between RCAC and Native leaders andthe best decisions grassroot lenders. to govern their citizens. 2021 Rural Community Assistance Corporation Annual Report 9'