African Enterprise’s Foxfire youth evangelist program began in Zimbabwe in the early 1980s as a strategic outreach to young people carried out by young Christian evangelists. At that time, the young people to whom the outreach was targeted were soldiers – mostly in their late teens and early 20s – who were in the process of being demobilized as a result of the ending of many years of bush warfare between the white Rhodesian government and the black liberation forces. These young fighters, many of whom had been engaged in years of fighting, knew little of normal life and were in many cases unfit to live and function productively in civilized society. So they lived in camps together for months after the end of armed conflict, awaiting permission to return to their cities and villages. Thanks to the intrepid AE Foxfires who had the courage to go out and preach the Gospel to them in their demobilization camps, hundreds came to Christ and found their lives transformed.

The transformation of young people, by young people, through the innovative and dynamic presentation of the Gospel of Christ remains the aim of the Foxfire program today. It has expanded from Zimbabwe into Kenya, Malawi and South Africa. South Africa now boasts four Foxfire teams, each with approximately ten members, based in the cities of Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pietermaritzburg and Port Elizabeth. Kenya, Malawi and Zimbabwe each have one team with approximately six to ten members each.

The Foxfires extensively employ dance and drama, both to attract the attention of young people and to convey the love of Christ through media that youth are accustomed to. Many Foxfires have come to faith in Christ from difficult backgrounds where they have experienced violence, broken families and even sexual abuse. These experiences enable them to know how to overcome anguishing setbacks and find healing in Christ, and to relate to peers they meet in their ministry who have struggled with the same sorts of disappointments and pain that they have. After presenting the Gospel through drama, dance and other exciting means, the Foxfires will take time to counsel interested young people in one-on-one sessions afterwards.

A key element of the Foxfire ministry is the teaching of “lifeskills,” especially including a biblical perspective of sexuality and how to avoid contracting HIV and Aids. With HIV rates at astronomical levels in many African countries, the Foxfires’ teaching and counselling of Christian lifeskills is likely saving countless lives. Foxfire lifeskills instruction also includes a youth-oriented, godly perspective on drug abuse, teen pregnancy, suicide and other issues which young people in Africa struggle with.

While the Foxfires make a Kingdom impact on the lives of thousands of young Africans each year, winning many of them to faith in Christ, the Foxfire program is itself a training ground for future African Christian leaders. After graduating from the program, some Foxfires go on to Bible school or seminary, to prepare to serve as pastors. Some pursue jobs in the marketplace, where they are equipped to impact their workplaces for Christ. And some Foxfires return for another year or more of work in the Foxfire program, functioning as leaders and mentors to younger incoming Foxfires.