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In 2005 Alison founded the Climb High Foundation, a 501c3 charitable organization dedicated to improving the lives of jobless women in third-world countries by training them to work as porters and guides in their local mountains so they will have the skills to benefit from trekking and climbing-related tourism. Her mission is to enable these women to maintain an adequate, sustainable living wage which will help them make meaningful, long-term improvements to their quality of life. The organization's goal is not only to help these women achieve financial independence, but also to provide a catalyst for social change in communities where gender equality is not recognized.

Alison has led several expeditions to the war-torn areas of Uganda and the Congo where she successfully organized the first group of local women to work in the Rwenzori Mountains. Her work in western Uganda was groundbreaking as it was the first time the local women there had ever climbed mountains, as this was forbidden in the past due to cultural beliefs about the subordinate status of women.

Alison also raised funds to build two schools in Nepal and helped raise funds for the construction of a school for AIDS orphans in Uganda. Over the past few years she has conducted numerous speaking tours to raise awareness and money for girls' scholarships in third-world countries.

In 2005 Alison performed in The Vagina Monologues at the California Theater in San Jose, with the goal of broadening awareness about the need to stop violence against women and girls, including rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation (FGM) and sexual slavery.