Mission Aviation Fellowship is "Flying for Life" in South Africa, bringing help, hope and healing to those living in the forgotten corners of our country, that so desperately need it.
Today, countless men, women and children remian cut off by difficult or dangerous terrain, deprived of basic necessitiesfor a full and healthy life. MAF South Africa serves those in South and Southern Africa where roads are not reliable; our planes enable those who are bringing vital medical, relief and development services, as well as hope and love to many people. Flying for Life is a holistic sustainable community programme, where MAF flies medical professionals, medical supplies, social workers, Government bodies, other NPO's to those in isolation, bringing solutions to social aspects such as health, education, HIV/AIDS education, training and capacity building, enterprise development, housing and water solutions, sport and other recreational activities such as arts and crafts, skills development and agriculture development. The MAF lifeline is vital, as Tanzanian village chairman Leonard Hamas explains: 'Without the air strip and MAF, clinics here would not be possible at all during the rainy season, when Birise cannot be reached by road. There are no other medical facilities nearby.'
Where there simply are no roads, where overland travel is dangerous, when time is short, MAF flights make impossible journeys possible, often using basic grass or dirt airstrips.
Omar, blind for eight years, fled conflict in Somalia. At Dadaab refugee camp in northern Kenya, a visiting Christian Blind Mission (CBM) team flown there by MAF operated on him, restoring his sight and offering fresh hope to him and hundereds of others. Dr. Alain of CBM shares, 'Without MAF services, access to the people in remote areas is not possible.'
A flight of just one hour landing at Bundibugyo, western Uganda, brought 2000 copies of newly-translated Gospel of Mark in the Lubwisi language, saving a long and dangerous drive across a mountain range.
When life was at stake for Oba Fusabani, mother of three, dying from a deadly adder bite in remote Mougulu, Papau New Guinea, a MAF plane became her air ambulance, saving her life.
At a clinic in Nyinbuli, southern Sudan, 2 nurses serve to meet the essential healthcare needs of at least 7000 men, women and children. MAF is a lifeline, especially during the wet season (May - September). Flights bring vital support, supplies and vaccines to the clinic.
Passengers contribute a small fraction of the true cost of such demanding specialist flying. The balance that makes flights possible, comes as gifts from people concerned to help ensure others have a better life - both physically and spiritually.
