Written by Nancy L. Moore
As we have “wildfire seasons” in the US, Kenya experiences “school burning season.” Some students want to avoid taking their exams in school and burn their dormitories at night. Many schools lock the dormitories at night for security. If students start a fire in the dorm, the unintended consequence is that students can’t get out until someone comes with the key. In late May, a fire broke out at a girls boarding school in Kenya. 16 girls lost their lives and 67 were reportedly hospitalized. The fire brigade wasn’t called until the fire was well involved and lasted for hours. However, the local firefighters responded as soon as they were called and stayed committed until the last moment—these firefighters are trained by AFM, and were joined by AFM staff for outreach after the fire.
AFM is training firefighters in how to effectively respond to fires. We are working toward every community, every person, and every firefighter having the tools and training they need to respond. Commitment and resilience is growing by the day in countries where we work. You can support our work and DOUBLE your impact today with a matching grant up to $20,000.
I’m reaching out to personally invite you to join this powerful movement through a recurring or one-time donation. Many firefighters in Africa serve without basic gear, training, or support - a devastating reality made harsher as Kenya experiences an increase in school firefighters and Sub-Sahara Africa faces record temperatures and environmental concerns. AFM has seen a decrease in regular gifts this year, limiting our ability to continue our mission and disrupting opportunities that we have to expand to more countries. With your help, we can give firefighters the training and gear they need to save lives.
By donating to Africa Fire Mission, you’ll help provide:
Life-saving training and equipment to fire departments
Fire safety education for families and children
Hope and protection for communities facing daily fire risks
Share God’s love through service in communities across Africa.
Richard Gichina, one of AFM’s volunteer fire safety advocates, wrote to our team: “During this year’s commencement of International Firefighters’ Day, we successfully initiated a school-based fire prevention and disaster preparedness awareness program across Nyeri County. We had set a target of 10 schools, an achievement that would not have been possible without the support of AFM. AFM’s contribution has greatly strengthened our outreach efforts.”
Please consider a generous gift to support our work - every dollar makes a difference! We need your support to continue our current programs and expand to new countries. Right now, your gifts up to $20,000 will DOUBLE with a matching grant!
Want to learn more about our mission and the impact your donation will make? Join us Wednesday, August 5th at 6:30 PM EST for a Virtual Happy Hour! The AFM team will be available to answer any questions and discuss exciting opportunities on the horizon.
P.S. You may have heard that Dave and I moved to Bryan/College Station, Texas this year! We are excited for Dave’s new role as Chief of Fire Aviation with the Texas A&M Forest Service. This move does not impact our ability to serve in Africa and AFM is continuing to expand our operations around the globe. I’m working with our staff and team across the WORLD to continue to grow AFM. Know that AFM is strong and with your help we can impact even more people! Feel free to reach out to me, Dave or our board directly if you have questions about how the transition is impacting operations!