Back to Blog

Supporting Future Generations

Mäpuru is a small homeland south of Elcho Island with roughly 120 residents. During the dry season the school uses the road to transport goods—but during the wet season they call upon MAF. This wet season has had very challenging conditions, which has resulted in an increased number of flights. Between 21 February - 12 March this year (less than three weeks), MAF delivered 3670kg of food to Mäpuru Christian School alone.  Ten years ago, when there was a lack of affordable food for t...

No Matter How Small

Bangladesh mechanic, Tapon Mondal, believes in doing his best—no matter how small the job. If there’s one thing that stands out about Tapon Mondal, it’s that he is rarely idle. If there’s no work to be done, he’ll find something to do or someone to help. Tapon, 37, began working for MAF Bangladesh in 2003. Although his brother-in-law David worked for MAF, and through him he knew many MAF staff, he couldn’t get his foot in the door until the unfortunate death of a night guard and ...

Lawrence Dixon

Lawrence is a proud “Westie”, having spent his younger days in the Henderson area. Rosalie and Lawrence were married 47 years ago in Ashhurst, Manawatu and have three adult children and six grandchildren. Lawrence’s education was at Henderson High School and the old ATI, and his working life of almost 40 years was spent with Fletcher Building. During this time Lawrence and his family were privileged to have lived in many of New Zealand's great towns and cities. He finished his corporate ca...

Rachel Goodfellow

With 15 years spent in HR generalist roles, Rachel is currently living in Wellington and working as a Senior People and Capability Specialist. She remains a part of her sending church in Wellington.  Rachel worked with MAF in Arnhem Land for six years, from 2009 to 2015. The majority of her time was spent in the role of Pilot and Pilot/Base Manager while living in the communities of Yirrkala and Numbulwar. During her time in Arnhem Land, she also worked in the HR and Operations Manager role...

Esther Harvey

Esther Harvey is a Career Practitioner at Lynfield College, Auckland, providing Career Guidance, Education and Development to high school students. She is married to Don Harvey and they have three young adult children, Blake (married), Jordan and Cadence and one beautiful grand-daughter. The Harveys were posted to Papua New Guinea from 1991 to 2002. Don was a pilot and Esther supported Don with administration, homeschooled their three children and provided hospitality to MAF staff on the outstat...

Engaging Men For Female Rights In Liberia

Ten men from ten communities sit in a circle discussing the lists they have just made: privileges and limitations for men and women. The two hand-written lists on the board are clearly out of balance. Fourteen privileges listed for men; four for women. Three limitations for men; ten for women. One participant raises his hand to add another “privilege” to the men’s list: they can beat their wives. The training facilitator, Albert Bundoo thinks this is worth discussing. One man thinks that w...

Clean Water For Semi Nomadic People

Founded in 2002, the Millennium Water Alliance (MWA) is a coalition of charities who work to bring clean, safe drinking water and sanitation to millions of the world’s poorest people, with a focus on sustainable solutions rather than temporary measures. The MWA currently operates in seven countries worldwide.  Jon Lenchner, a research scientist, was recently a MAF passenger to Marsabit as part of a team from the Millennium Water Alliance (MWA) to visit projects that the organisation is in...

Leaving A Legacy

A bequest is simply a gift left in a will. Many people don’t realise that you don’t have to be rich or famous to make a bequest. The truth is that most bequests are made by ordinary, hardworking people who want to make a positive difference to their community or to a cause after they're gone. The good news is that including Mission Aviation Fellowship in your will is just as easy as providing for your loved ones. And it can be as much, or as little, as you want. The first step should always ...

Helping Orphans In South Sudan

Maria Alfons of True Light Ministries frequently relies on MAF to fly her safely in and out of Mundri, South Sudan where she runs an orphanage and is opening a medical centre. Originally from Egypt, Maria first came to South Sudan in 2009 to begin a ministry for street children. As a trained teacher and fluent in Arabic she was able to step right into the challenges and joys of serving some of the most vulnerable children in South Sudan’s capital. In 2011 Maria started an orphanage in Juba, So...

Medevac In Mongolia

Before noon on Saturday, we received a call for urgent medevac flight. A 13-year old boy called Baasandorj had been severely injured as a result of falling off a racing horse during the annual Mongolian festival Naadam.  Naadam is a traditional multiple-day annual festival celebrated in Mongolia. The festival is held in July and originates from the times of Genghis Khan. The main event is held in Ulaanbaatar (the capital), but each district capital and village holds its own local Naadam. Th...

Sister Wilhemena - Transforming Lives

“I believe in empowering people so that instead of giving all the time, it’s good to help them learn how to fish for themselves”, states Sister Wilhelmena. As the Chinese proverb says, you give a man a fish, you feed him for the day. Teach him how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime. Her statement encapsulates the heart of a remarkable woman whose presence fills the room with joy and who speaks with such passion about her work that it’s contagious. She is a Sister of the Holy Family, an...

A Link In The Chain

In MAF we often talk about how each “link in the chain” is so important —and how even one missing link affects all the other parts. MAF’s life-transforming work overseas could not take place without supporting countries like New Zealand! MAF New Zealand is a vital "link in the chain". We raise the money, prayer and staff to keep the planes flying But our work would be severely hampered without the MAF aircraft. It is another vital "link in the chain". Since the MAF aircraft arrived i...

Arnhem Land Kids Love Sports

If it’s not AFL (Australian Football), it’s basketball, if it’s not basketball it’s volleyball, if it’s not volleyball it’s running. Aboriginal Kids love sports!  Any opportunity indigenous kids are given to kick or run with a ball, they respond to it, often with beaming smiles. The love of sports has lead many young Aboriginal people into various AFL and other sport programs that run throughout the country. The schools in East Arnhem Land especially recognise the potential that...

An Interview With Glenys Watson

Recently the NZ Herald did an interview with Glenys Watson, who is heading to PNG as a pilot. They also produced a short video of Glenys sharing her story and talking about what she will be doing in PNG. Below is the story as it appeared in the Herald. Here is a link to the article and a video. It took the death of Glenys Watson's father to remind her just how short life was and prompted her and her husband to do something extreme to help Five years on, the Hamilton mother-of-four is moving her ...

Changing The Odds

After years of civil war and Ebola that decimated the health care system in Liberia, Partners In Health is committed to changing the odds for the Liberian people....

Inspiring Young Hearts

MAF occasionally are able to participate in inspiring young hearts by opening their doors wide to kids that wouldn’t normally be able to experience the world of aviation. We received a letter from 3 students who came to do work experience at the hangar from the Rainbow International School (see below).  They ended by saying, “These have been some of the best 2 weeks we have experienced all year”. A few months back, a friend of ours came to visit Uganda short term and organised a visit...

Selling The Sofa

Rune and Maria Karlsson were called to the mission field with a loud, crystal-clear shout from God that could not be ignored. It wasn’t a call to just any mission doing any work. God said to go with Mission Aviation Fellowship. It was hard to say no. The Swedish couple married at age 18. Rune started a sawmill business; they purchased a house and renovated it; and they bought a sofa—an expensive, leather Chesterfield sofa from England that they loved. One evening, Rune was at a campgroun...

East Timor Hearts Fund

Fainting, dizziness, shortness of breath and chest pains may all be indicators of a serious heart condition—but what do people do if they live in a place where the specialist heart doctors they need are simply not there? What if it was impossible to get treatment for your medical condition within your home country? What if your only hope of health, wellness and a fully active life is a trip overseas to another country where they have the technology and training to fix your broken heart&mda...

Empreza Di'ak - Good Business

Pilot Jason Job put on his life jacket for the short fifteen minute flight from Dili to nearby Atauro Island in the GA8 aircraft, MQO. He was about to fly staff from one of MAF Timor-Leste’s frequent fliers, an organisation called Empreza Di’ak. Empreza Di’ak means “Good Business” in the local language of Tetun, and has a vision to see people of Timor-Leste build a better life, through the combination of their own efforts and the power of business. The story behind Empreza Di’ak begi...

Looking After Airstrips

Well-maintained airstrips are essential for MAF operations into remote communities. MAF flights are often the only way in and out of basic services, especially in the case of a medical emergency. In PNG the Rural Airstrip Agency (RAA) and MAF partner together to support villages in keeping their lifeline safe and accessible for our aircraft. However, it is the community itself who is responsible for looking after their airstrip. “I’ve been to five airstrips in Enga yesterday, and now I am go...

Thank You MAF

The following report was sent to MAF following an emergency medevac in Madagascar. Thank you so much to MAF and the part they played in the following events. On 13 March three missionaries from Scripture Union and Haggai, along with their driver, were on their way to the region of Ihorombe in the District of Ihosy. At around 6pm they were involved in a car accident while still 20km from the city of Ihosy. A taxibus drove on the wrong side of the road uphill on a curve on its way to Fianarantsoa....

DO WHOLE FAMILIES GO OVERSEAS TO WORK WITH MAF?

It is not uncommon for MAF personnel to be accompanied by spouses and children, and it is important that all members of a family are included in the decision-making process. Families may be required to live in remote locations, even those with young children....

Empowering Lives

Pilot Jason Job put on his life jacket for the short fifteen minute flight from Dili to nearby Atauro Island in the GA8 aircraft, MQO. He was about to fly staff from one of MAF Timor-Leste’s frequent fliers, an organisation called Empreza Di’ak. Empreza Di’ak means “Good Business” in the local language of Tetun, and has a vision to see people of Timor-Leste build a better life, through the combination of their own efforts and the power of business. The story behind Empreza Di’ak begi...

Powered By The Sun

Three MAF families in Rumginae, Papua New Guinea (PNG) are probably reading psalm 113:3 (From the rising of the sun to it’s setting, let the name of the Lord be praised) with more gratitude than ever before. Sunshine is not only providing them with warmth, light and Vitamin D—since December 2015 the sun is also providing them with energy! Power has always been sparse and unreliable at Rumginae. It is a remote, hot, humid, and tropical area which needs a constant supply of electricity. Be...

Renewable Energy

Dennis Keya, Country Manager of DREAM Kenya, was a passenger on MAF aircraft 5Y-EST in April when he and his colleague travelled from Marsabit to Nairobi. DREAM, (Developing Renewable Energy in Africa and Middle East) is an initiative started in 2014 by EP Global Energy (EPGE) with projects in Jordan, Zambia, South Sudan and Tanzania as well as Kenya. Founded in 2006, EPGE is an organisation committed to the sustainable development of renewable energy, particularly focussing on wind and solar po...