Our Mission
Together with our friends and colleagues in Mali and Cameroon, African Sky promotes capacity building, empowers individuals through education, and develops innovative leaders for social change. Our philosophy of community development is based on the belief that humanity’s physical, ecological, and spiritual well-being is rooted in universal compassion and sustainable living.
Our Story
African Sky was incorporated by Scott M. Lacy in 2004 in response to a growing number of family and friends who were partnering with him to organize and launch small projects in Mali. African Sky initially focused on building and supporting small schools with Malian host communities, but since the beginning our project portfolio has included initiatives in community health, food security, and community arts.
More recently, African Sky has adapted its operational strategy to navigate a series of transformative events including the closure of the US Peace Corps in Mali, enduring political and security crises in Mali, and the COVID pandemic and its aftermath. In 2024 the organization made two significant strategic shifts:
- Our long-term partners and partner communities in Mali develop and implement Mali-based projects with US team members contributing direct support and resources (US team travel to Mali suspended).
- Following a series of non-African Sky projects that emerged during and after Exec. Director Lacy’s Fulbright experience in Cameroon, African Sky updated its bylaws and strategic plan to bring these initiatives into our project portfolio (staring in August 2024). These projects, led by an enthusiastic and devoted group of Cameroonian volunteers, fit squarely within African Sky’s mission and strategic goals.
