Co-founder of Africare, He was president of the organization for 30 years.
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C. Payne Lucas is originally from Spring Hope, North Carolina. He is one of fourteen children. As a young man he attended college for two years with the plan of becoming a teacher. Lucas took a few years off after his sophomore year and joined the airforce.
After the airforce he returned to college to obtain a degree in political science. Lucas went straight into graduate school obtaining a masters degree in political science.
Lucas developed a passion for Africa after he became involved with the peace corp as an assissatant director to Togo. His first post was in Togo after which he was sent to Niger as a country director. After two years in Niger he was promoted to director of the Africa Region and director of the returned volunteers. He served in the peace corp form 1962 to 1971.
After 11 years in the Peace Corp Lucas left and helped found Africare in 1987. Africare started as a small organization working out of the Embassy of Niger and grew into an organazition that operates in more than 30 countries in Africa. Africare is the largest and longest running African-American non-profit organization specializaing in Africa.