How does an 80-year-old become more active, relevant and innovative in a changing world? That’s the question Mission Aviation Fellowship is asking as it celebrates a significant anniversary while looking to the future.
The organisation was founded in the aftermath of the Second World War by pioneers determined to use aviation to bring help, hope and healing to isolated communities.
MAF International’s Chief Transformation and Operating Officer Norman Baker said the bold journeys of those early MAF pioneers (such as Murray Kendon and Trevor Strong, the founders of MAF) had set an example for the organisation to follow as it looks ahead.
“The world is changing around us and it’s changing at a pace that we’ve never seen before,” he said.
“We serve roughly 2500 isolated communities and one of the things we want to do, as we approach our 100-year anniversary, is ask how do we become more effective?
"Our ambition is we want to double that impact and reach double the number of isolated communities."
With an estimated one billion people across the world suffering because they live far from decent healthcare or education, the challenge for MAF is to better understand the needs of the next generation.
“You go back 80 years and the motivation of love, to want to improve people’s lives is admirable,” he said. “That’s still at the core of who we are, but our understanding of what communities actually need has to keep changing. I think MAF benefits as we bring more people into that circle who live in that context and understand that context.”
Your generosity is supporting opportunities for pilots, engineers, managers and other key staff to make a difference in the nations where MAF operates. In addition to staff from New Zealand, MAF is increasingly recruiting people from Africa and Asia who bring their skills and new perspectives.
Susan Kigen-Kolum was an engineer in MAF’s Kenya programme but now, as Country Director, she is leading the efforts to attract skills from the East Africa region.
“There is a growing excitement and a shared sentiment that the time has come for Africa to rise. For too long, many Africans have been recipients of missions and missionaries, but now it is time for Africa to give back,” she said.
“Africa has the youngest population in the world, with 70% of sub-Saharan Africans under the age of 30. As the most rapidly growing continent, Africa’s demographic, economic, and cultural growth will undoubtedly influence the global system.
“We believe that God is calling the African Church to rise up in this generation, not only to reach its own communities but also to send missionaries, engineers, pilots, and leaders to places that are still waiting for the hope of Christ.”
So, decades on from those initial MAF flights, it is encouraging to see how the MAF family is growing. For MAF leaders like Norm and Susan, people are the key, but technology has a part to play too.
Although aviation is a lifeline for isolated communities, MAF is also looking to embrace technologies that are better for our planet. This means that MAF’s next generation could involve drones (unmanned aerial vehicles), fuel-efficient technology and a sophisticated simulator that significantly reduces the hours spent in the air during training.
“We’re evaluating new technology that’s emerging. We are looking at when they start to become viable products that we think we could put into use,” said Norm.
The vision of MAF’s founders is still clear 80 years later – MAF flies where others don’t. In the years ahead, it’s your support that enables MAF to fill a gap that changes lives and saves lives.
Norm added: “If an airline could start up in one of these isolated situations and difficult environments that we operate in, they would do it and we would celebrate it, but they don’t because they can’t afford that in their commercial models.
“That’s why we are more effective and together we can make a difference.”
STORY / SEAN ATKINS
This story was originally published in "Flying for Life - Spring 2025." To view the full magazine, click here.
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