http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/ The latest Blog feeds from www.maf.org.nz en-us Sun, 11 Oct 2026 03:49:36 +1300 Rocketspark http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/post/171398/its-our-first-week-of-flight-operations-but-stevens-already-flown-with-us/ “I used to charter MAF from Arawa to Buin,” says the white-haired 73-year-old. “It was a five-seater single-engined aeroplane — I used to give ten dollars, and they would take me to Buin.”From the age of 18, Steven Kopana worked for Bougainville Copper Limited at the mine in Panguna, 50 kilometres as-the-crow-flies from Buin.“I played so many roles there. I was employed in many sectors,” he says. “At that time, there was no road system — the roads were useless. The only means o... Fri, 09 Oct 2026 14:39:02 +1300 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/#post171398 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/post/171387/flying-high-how-access-and-connection-continues-to-shape-education-at-makarrata/ The basic premise of the Laynhapuy Homelands School Makarraṯa programme might seem like a bold logistical exercise – flying students in weekly from remote communities to attend school.However, behind the aviation aspect lies something much deeper: an innovative story of access, consistency, and human connection that’s shaping young lives across the Laynhapuy homelands in Arnhem Land.In 2024, Makarraṯa was extended from Years 10-12 to include Year 9 students, and the programme has taken o... Fri, 09 Oct 2026 09:54:05 +1300 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/#post171387 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/post/171386/how-evangelism-team-reached-2000-people-in-six-days/ “We visited over 2,000 people in over ten villages” evangelist Elisha Moita, the head of Malambo Discipleship Training Centre, beamed in the cockpit of the MAF Cessna 208 on the return flight from the outreach trip to the Kiteto District in Tanzania.About 180 km from the capital Dodoma, getting to Kiteto means crossing mountainous terrain, and travelling on dirt roads which are frequently affected by weather conditions.MAF flew the team from Malambo to Dodoma, a swift hour and a half flight ... Fri, 09 Oct 2026 09:38:16 +1300 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/#post171386 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/post/171224/inside-the-learning-journey-meant-for-nomadic-kids/ For Ruth Wuerzle and Corinna Boecker, that road was never really the plan. The journey from Nairobi to Illeret would have taken 18 hours. MAF flew them instead as they carried six bags of teaching materials bound for 20 mobile schoolteachers.“Thanks to MAF, we were able to travel for two hours instead of 18,” said Ruth.This was Ruth’s 20th trip with MAF to Illeret since 2014. Raised in Wajir as a child to AIC (Africa Inland Church) missionaries, she grew up close to the schooling struggles... Mon, 05 Oct 2026 09:18:43 +1300 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/#post171224 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/post/171222/41-years-of-preaching-the-gospel-to-the-massai/ ... Mon, 05 Oct 2026 09:02:13 +1300 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/#post171222 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/post/170736/when-options-are-few-the-cost-of-being-far-from-care/ For the sixth consecutive year, MAF flew HoverAid’s ‘medical safari’ team to Nosy Varika in 50 minutes, saving the volunteer doctors and dentists days of difficult travel and giving them more time to care for patients.For Liva, access to this medical care came after a long period of suffering.A year ago, whilst working as a maid in northern Madagascar, she got pregnant. Unfortunately, the baby died in her womb and she required surgery. As a mother caring for her children on her own, she fa... Tue, 22 Sep 2026 08:12:25 +1200 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/#post170736 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/post/170735/more-than-medicine-where-healing-and-hope-come-together/ “I never expected my baby to survive,” said Kyampaire Winnie, the mother of baby Itungo Phoebe. “I first brought her when she was not even a month old, but she’s doing well and hitting her milestones.”Eight-month-old baby Itungo can now make sounds and her family from Kiruhura district, western Uganda, has hope for further improvement.CURE hospital maintains a team with a spiritual focus that ministers among the medical doctors, both at the hospital in Mbale and the health camps they h... Tue, 22 Sep 2026 08:05:44 +1200 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/#post170735 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/post/170118/walking-in-his-fathers-footsteps-how-maf-supports-alfred-from-ok-isai/ Alfred is also a proud son and an entrepreneur who runs a local ‘trade store’ near the Ok Isai airstrip to help sustain his small family. Along with his wife Luminar and daughter, Zitah, Alfred uses MAF for his travel to and from work and also to fly in stock for his small business.“I sell second-hand clothes, freezer meats like lamb, turkey, chicken—and ice-cream,”Alfred said. “I get my cargo in Mount Hagen and fly them with MAF to Ok Isai.“MAF exists as one of the main service pr... Wed, 16 Sep 2026 08:08:20 +1200 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/#post170118 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/post/170116/bringing-judith-home-one-less-burden-for-a-grieving-family/ In eastern Uganda’s Kapchorwa district, pupils from King David Primary School of Ndejje-Wakiso were enjoying a study tour away from their home in the nation’s capital, Kampala. Tragically, their bus went out of control and fell into a ditch, leading to the deaths of over 20 children, the bus driver and the school director.Among the young lives lost was Judith Namanda, a vibrant 12-year-old girl from Yambio in South Sudan. Due to lack of good education facilities, it is not uncommon for South... Wed, 16 Sep 2026 08:00:35 +1200 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/#post170116 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/post/169445/nyalam-gets-a-second-chance-at-life-amidst-humanitarian-crisis/ When violent conflict broke out in Akobo County, Jonglei State, it severed the vital lifelines connecting thousands of vulnerable families to the rest of the country. For over two months, severe access restrictions meant no aid could get through, leaving over 200,000 displaced people trapped in an escalating humanitarian crisis. Homes were looted, water systems were destroyed, and healthcare facilities collapsed.For 20-year-old Nyatong, a mother of three, the conflict forced her into a distressi... Tue, 01 Sep 2026 11:18:49 +1200 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/#post169445