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A Refugee's Transformation Encourages MAF to Keep Flying

Orphaned at 9 years, abducted and forced into marriage at 15, Elizabeth Andrew Gatluak had a troubled childhood.With pain in her throat and tears rolling down her face, the breaking point came when her husband was murdered in a mass shooting at a market in her hometown of Bentiu. Rebels then raided her home.“They dragged me and other girls to the bushes, blindfolded and gang-raped me when I was expecting this child,” she said, pointing to her three-year-old son whom she has named UNHCR Willi...

MAF Helps Emiliana Reach Unreachable Villages Quickly

“What touches me is that I’m helping both mothers and children,” said Emiliana Musa Chalo, who has served for fifteen years as a nurse and midwife at Kilimatinde Hospital, a ministry of the Anglican Church of Tanzania.Emiliana dedicates her time to providing healthcare to mothers and children in remote areas. Her services include vaccinating children, monitoring pregnant women, and offering treatment and advice.“When a mother is pregnant, I monitor the baby’s heartbeat, check the devel...

MAF's Partner Supports a Child-Headed Refugee Family

At fifteen, Nyabuom Puok took on the responsibility to care for her four younger siblings single-handedly. It was not out of her own free will that Nyabuom assumed this responsibility.Her mother, who lived with them at Rhino Refugee Camp in northern Uganda, returned to South Sudan with a promise that she would return soon. A year later, there’s no trace of her.Community members brought the plight of these children to the attention of the Khayamandi Foundation.MAF flies the Khayamandi Foundatio...

MAF Flight Enables Mercy Ships to Help Baby Osman

Potential patients in Toliara were eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Mercy Ships Patient Selection Team. Among them was Delphine, a 20-year-old mother clutching her six-month-old son, Osman, who was born with a cleft lip. Delphine knew that her child needed surgery, but the cost at a local hospital was too high for her.“There are surgeons here, but it costs a lot of money so I cannot afford it,” she said. However, when she heard about Mercy Ships on the radio, she seized the opportunity an...

Airlifted in 24 Minutes: Pregnant Woman Saved by Floatplane

Sadly, the baby could not be saved, but the mother received life-saving care.“Everything happened so quickly,” said Gensy Deisi, from the small community of Boboa, on the shores of Lake Murray, in Papua New Guinea’s Western Province.“With the floatplane, we were already in Kiunga, heading to the hospital.” Shimbil Deisi, Gensy’s younger sister and a mother of two, was referred to the nearest hospital in Kiunga due to difficulties in delivering her baby.“As soon as she arrived, we t...

From Darkness to Light: Dimanbil's Airstrip Dream Comes True

For nearly four decades, the people of Dimanbil in Papua New Guinea’s Sandaun Province held onto a dream, a dream of connection, of light breaking through isolation. With bush knives, sticks, and sheer determination, they worked to carve a runway from the dense jungle. It was a seemingly impossible task.But in late 2023, that dream took flight when an MAF aircraft landed on their newly built airstrip for the first time.In May 2025, the people of Dimanbil are still enthusiastic about the sight ...

Eight Patients on Board Receive Access to Life-Saving Care

In the remote plains of Malambo, where access to medical care is limited, MAF partnered with Help for the Maasai to transport eight patients to Arusha for treatment. Among them were three young children with special needs.Pilot Peter Griffin is gaining experience on the larger aircraft type, supervised by Phil Henderson. Peter shared that the flight was significant to him personally, because it was his first time to fly so many patients at once.“We had more patients than I’d ever flown befor...

Next Gen Community Health Workers Supported by MAF

They are equipped with faith, supported by MAF, and driven by the urgent needs of their people.Sephreid Kuri knows what it means to watch loved ones suffer without medical help. In his remote village of Duranmin, there’s no medically trained people, and no road in or out.“My area doesn’t have a CHW or health worker. Because of this, many in my family and community have died,” said the first-year student at the Telefomin Community Health Worker School.“I want to become a health worker s...

MAF Helps Medics Reach Remote Community

Mansare Nankoria had been suffering from the painful effects of leprosy for more than a year before a MAF flight brought a medical team to her region in central Guinea. Mansare received treatment from the Mission Partners for Christ team for her leprosy, which had left her with wounds on both hands and feet for a year and four months.“I am a native of this village, I really cannot describe the way these wounds started on me. I went to several hospitals and villages to find a solution but nothi...

Meet Angela Competente

Angela Competente was born in Manila, Philippines, and moved to New Zealand when she was seven. She grew up in Auckland and in the church. From a young age, Angela felt called to go into aviation—she just wasn’t sure what that would look like. She started her flight training in Palmerston North in 2018 and got her commercial pilot licence in 2020 through Massey University. Along the way, she also discovered a real love for teaching. Over time, she felt a calling to serve, and God faithfully ...

MAF Helps Fistula Patients Receive Life-Saving Surgery

30-year-old Tensa, the mother of eight, with six living children, shares her story to encourage other women to seek out help.MAF partnered with the Reconciliation Hospital to fly fistula patients for surgery. In the pre-op ward, Tensa is waiting to receive expert care. Tensa’s story is tinged with sadness and hope. Tensa developed a fistula birthing her eighth child, in her rural community in October last year. Too far from hospital she had no choice but to deliver at home.‘I stayed for thre...

Meet Nathalie Buitendag

With a background in marketing, operations, and administration, I’ve always enjoyed roles that bring structure and clarity behind the scenes.Being part of a local church and raising our family in a community that values generosity and purpose has shaped who I am. It’s a privilege to support a mission that reaches people in some of the hardest-to-reach places in the world—with both practical help and the love of Christ.I’m grateful to be part of a team that’s making a difference—and t...

MAF flies 18 Veterinarians to Kenya to Offer Free Treatment

Organised by Veterinarians Mission Program (VMP), in partnership with Christian Veterinary Mission and local churches, the week-long mission to Kinna aimed to combat animal disease while sowing seeds of faith among the Borana and Ameru residents.For many pastoralists here in Isiolo County, livestock is everything: a source of food, income, and identity. Yet, access to veterinary care is rare and unaffordable for most. During the mission, over 3,200 animals were treated, including cattle, sheep, ...

MAF flies 70-year-old Grandmother After Successful Surgery

Ngoita, affectionately called Koko, which means ‘grandmother’ in Kimaasai, began her journey earlier this year during a mobile medical clinic run by Help for the Maasai, a partner organisation supporting vulnerable people in remote Maasai communities.Cataracts in both of Ngoita’s eyes were discovered, severely limiting her ability to function independently. She was brought to a clinic in Malambo for initial care, and arrangements were made for her to travel to Arusha for surgery. Ngoita fi...

Meet Fiona Vincent

My involvement with MAF began in 2009 when the Mareeba Maintenance Hangar was desperate for help in the finance department. We were living 30 kms west of Mareeba, on the edge of the outback with our five children. Since I had qualified as a Chartered Accountant and had many years’ experience in that field, the vacancy fitted my skillset. A year later the Mareeba Finance Manager retired and I was able to step into that role. I continued to homeschool our children.When we moved back to New Zeala...

Reconnecting a Lifeline to Health Services

“A lot of them died. We asked them, ’What happened?’” said Doctor Diane Yoko, contemplating the absence of health service in Yenkisa.For two years, ethnic clashes in this remote Papua New Guinea community prevented health services, leaving families to battle the ever-present malaria and other sicknesses without aid.MAF flew to Yenkisa, delivering a health patrol from Kompiam Rural Hospital, restoring health services in a place where roads cannot reach.A team of ten led by Diane treated e...

Remote Airstrip Nears Reopening in Hauna

Hauna airstrip sits beside an oxbow lake on the Sepik River, serving over 1,000 people nearby. Just 15 minutes by motor canoe from the village, it's a vital link to Hauna’s school, clinic, church, teacher training college, and Sepik Christian Ministries.Jonah Maiyak, Director of Sepik Christian Ministries, shared how the airstrip could bring help, hope, and healing. He said medical teams, missionaries, officials, and businesspeople will use it to reach the community.Due to surface strength ris...

MAF Delivers Food after Myanmar's Earthquake

Amid the suffering caused by the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that hit Myanmar, MAF’s team were greeted with big smiles and shouts of joy when they arrived with enough supplies to feed hundreds of families.MAF’s General Manager in Myanmar, Deeram Khong, drove with engineer Terry Fahey to Tada-U to assess the damage and meet the needs of people trying to rebuild their lives after the natural disaster.The supplies, funded by the donations of MAF supporters, were sorted into parcels so that each fa...

MAF Flight Brings Clean Water to South Sudan

Student Nyakoi Dier knows that access to clean water is making a difference for her education and future.Tearfund, supported by MAF flights, has rehabilitated 14 boreholes in the Rubkona and Budang Payam areas in collaboration with the State Government Water Department, with ten more currently in progress. Rubkona Primary School and Danger Primary School, located on the same compound, now benefit from clean water thanks to Tearfund.“The 15-year-old, who attends Danger Primary School, says, ‘...

Our "Vital Lifeline" for Liberia

Key MAF staff shared their thoughts and reflections on the impact of flying around the nation.“Aviation is expensive, but through the generosity of donors, we can operate at a fair cost, ensuring that people in Liberia receive the help they desperately need,” said Adolphus Johnson, a finance manager with MAF in Liberia.He has spent the past two years overseeing the programme’s financial operations.From managing cash flow to handling stock and legal matters, he plays a crucial role in ensur...

MAF Brought Hope after Ten Years of Suffering

She lost the use of her jaw and could no longer open her mouth or eat properly. Ten years on, Yelikha’s mother Aissatou Sompare, had new hope thanks to specialist treatment at an isolated clinic."She is 15 years old; we have visited many hospitals. Until today, we have not had a better treatment for her situation," Aissatou said.Apart from the hospitals, we have also gone to several other traditional healers in several regions of the country, and we are still without success.“We had the grac...

Church Leaders Attend 100 Year Celebration

‘The whole church is welcome to attend!’ Archbishop Samuel Peni said issuing an open invitation to guests and highlighting the significance of the event for the Episcopal Church of South Sudan. ‘The climax of the celebration will be on 11 April because that is the day we will mark exactly one hundred years.’The cathedral, built and opened in 1925, is home to a thriving community of believers. It is thought to be the oldest Episcopal Church of South Sudan and one of the oldest buildings i...

MAF Provide Vital Link to a Medical Centre

Guinea has high maternal mortality rates, with many women dying due to complications from pregnancy or childbirth. In rural areas, most mothers cannot access trained midwives or obstetricians.But a clinic in the remote village of N’zao, which relies on MAF flights for a vital link with the capital Conakry, has had a big breakthrough since opening its maternity centre in 2023.Anna, coordinator of Hope Clinic, said the training of staff and the use of ‘stop bleeding kits’ had made a dramatic...

Water Filters Protect Mbale Against Diesease

Fifteen-year-old Jeremiah Wamimbi suffered for years from illnesses caused by dirty water.He battled constant diarrhoea and typhoid, falling ill, recovering just enough to keep going, and then getting sick again.But three months ago, everything changed when missionaries from The Bucket Ministry visited their home with a bucket filter bringing clean, safe water.“My son has suffered from diarrhoea and typhoid for many years, but now, with the gift of the bucket, his health has greatly improved,�...

MAF Flights Support a Hospital Expansion

“The hospital here is a 105-bed facility,” said Project Manager Charles Ichu, as his colleagues from Adventist Health disembarked an MAF aeroplane at Béré.“However, we treat far more patients than that, sometimes even under the trees. The hospital serves the people of Béré, but people come from as far as Sudan to get help here. MAF has been a great partner!”The MAF flight brought Miriam and Milomfa Ayite, serving with Adventist Health International, from the national capital N’Djam...