MAF Flying for Life Spring Edition

FLYING
FOR LIFE
SPRING 2019
THE QUARTERLY MAGAZINE OF
MAF AUSTRALIA
04 BUILDING BRIDGES
06 HEALTH IN ISOLATED COMMUNITIES
08 HURRICANE DORIAN: EMERGENCY RELIEF
Mt Hagen, Papua New Guinea.

Original Auster Harry Hartwig took to New Guinea 1951
FROM THE CEO
In just a few months MAF turns 75!
I wonder if the early MAF pioneers ever imagined just
how far those first flights would end up travelling.
In the lead up to the anniversary celebration, I have been
reflecting on Philippians 1:4-5:
“I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the
gospel from the first day until now”
From the “first day” of MAF, partnership has been at our
very heart. From prayer and financial supporters, to
volunteers, to MAF staff, to governments, NGOs and local
communities, we are all - each of us, every day - working
toward the transformation of isolated communities. We
are working to see hope come to the remote.
The global cumulative impact of this partnership is
extremely powerful. Every 4 minutes a MAF plane is
taking off or landing - carrying this hope - somewhere
around the world.
Isn’t that exciting? How many flights will have been
performed in the time it takes for you to read this
magazine? How many partners will have come together
during that day?
In this issue of Flying For Life, we are focused on the
partnerships we have been able to make with other
organisations.
You will see a very small glimpse into the very large
impact you are having across the world. From coffee
plantations in Uganda, to emergency response in the
Bahamas, you are reaching real people with real help
through these partnerships.
You will also read about an urgent need we currently
have to replace the MAF staff transportation in both PNG
and Arnhem Land. If you are able this Christmas, would
you prayerfully consider supporting this appeal?
As we head into the Christmas season, I wish you and
your family a joyous time in celebrating the birth of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
In His service,
Ian McDougall
CEO, MAF Australia
Spring 2019 / FLYING FOR LIFE / 2

THE PNG STAFF NEED YOU!
For 12 years, this bus (pictured above) has faithfully
transported the MAF team in PNG from Mt Hagen town to the
airport.
After travelling over 325,000km on harsh roads that would
normally require a four-wheel drive to navigate, the bus is no
longer fit to continue transporting the MAF team and their
families. The bus also no longer complies with MAF seatbelt
safety regulations.
A new bus will cost around $70,000 AUD to put on the road in
Mt Hagen.
This is an urgent need and we would dearly love to be able to
send these funds over to them in time for Christmas, so that
the program does not face any service interruptions in the
new year.
Would you prayerfully consider giving towards the
purchase of a new staff bus in PNG?
Any money we raise over and above the cost of the bus will go
towards a new bus in Arnhem Land, where the team are
facing a very similar issue with their existing staff transport.
Your tax-deductible gift is an investment into our MAF team
and, in turn, into the many lives that will be transformed as a
result of their service.
To donate: www.maf.org.au/bus or 1800 650 169
Spring 2019 / FLYING FOR LIFE / 3

BUILDING BRIDGES WHERE KIDS
ARE DYING TO GET TO SCHOOL
MAF partners with many organisations around the world,
organisations like Cooperation in Development, who are currently
working to reduce the number of drowning incidents of school
children in Bangladesh.
Story Divyan Ahimaz Photos Fred Hyde Schools
Surrounded by water, Bangladesh is home to more
than 800 rivers. While beautiful, this extensive
network of waterways carry with them a terrible
threat to the children of Bangladesh, rarely more so
than on Bhola, the largest island in the country.
Bhola Island was the scene of history’s single worst
environmental catastrophe when, in 1970, the island
was virtually swept clean by a cyclone that took up to
500,000 lives in a single night.
50 years on, and drowning continues to be the
single biggest killer of children. The death rate in
Bangladesh for children 1-4 years old is a horrifying
86.3 per 100,000 per year—which is close to the
preventable death rate for Australians of all ages.
This is the scene of one of Bangladesh’s largest
and oldest NGO-sector education projects,
the Cooperation in Development (Australia)
Incorporated’s primary school project. Founded by
Fred Hyde, the charity Cooperation in Development
(Co-ID) has built over 60 schools and kindergartens
in Bhola in the last 30 years.
Each of ‘Fred’s’ schools is an island, built up on ‘high
ground’ made by hand from mud dug from canals
and a myriad of ponds that dot the landscape. The
schools draw children from the country’s poorest
families, often families made homeless by erosion
by the mighty south-bound rivers. They are keen to
come - trudging through mud and thigh-deep high
tides during the wet season.
Tragically, these children are literally dying to get
to school each day. In the last year alone, three
youngsters in the school community have died
either at school or getting to school - out of a total
enrolment of 11,000. “Apart from the deaths we
had some close runs - a boy going across one of the
bamboo bridges to get a snack, fell into the water and
would have drowned if one of the elder boys hadn’t
seen it happen,” says the charity’s head of country in
Bangladesh.
Spring 2019 / FLYING FOR LIFE / 4

TRAGICALLY,
THESE
CHILDREN ARE
LITERALLY
DYING TO GET
TO SCHOOL
EACH DAY.
Dr Muurlink assessing the bridge.
Dr Muurlink, whose ‘day job’ is as an academic at
Central Queensland University in Australia, spends
much of his spare time in Bhola, meeting with the
charity’s 180 staff and visiting each of the schools.
For Dr Muurlink, time is of critical importance, and
that’s where MAF have been able to provide critical
support for the project . “We rely largely on volunteers
to get some of the key management work done, and
all of us have day jobs, so saving even a single day
in travel time makes a huge difference. MAF’s planes
take us straight from the domestic terminal in Dhaka
through to the river off Bhola, and in the process save
us around 8 or 10 hours — a working day — each
way.” With one of the smallest budgets of all NGOs
operating in Bangladesh, Co-ID relies on affordable
services like MAF offers, to make a high impact on a
low budget.
This year, Co-ID will be devoting more funds than
ever before to try and address some of the more
acute drowning risks. The charity is focusing on
filling in ponds close to school and literally building
bridges between the areas where schools operate
and populations of school-age children. In one case,
in a public-private partnership between the charity
and two union councils on Bhola, a ‘land bridge’ and
a wooden-concrete construction costing less than
USD$600 will mean that around 100 children will be
able to get safely to school this coming monsoon
season.
A Fred Hyde school in Bhola.
Two children next to the bridge in construction.
Spring 2019 / FLYING FOR LIFE / 5

HEALTH IN ISOLATED COMMUNITIES
SHARE, a Japanese health NGO is working to provide high-quality
health services to the people of Atauro Island, Timor-Leste.
Story and photos Kim Job
Isolation is caused by many things in Timor-Leste. Some
people here are isolated by jungley forests where no clear
road has been made. Other people live perched high on
the sides and ridges of mountains, with roads that often
are impassable due to landslides, mud or generally poor
conditions.
For the people of Atauro Island, their isolation comes
from a lack of passable roads, a rocky mountainous
terrain and then a secondary level of isolation that
comes from living on an island, removed from the rest
of Timor-Leste. An island that, when the westerly winds
are blowing strong, is left, inaccessible by boat or plane.
The remoteness and isolation of the people of Atauro has
led several organisations to work with the local people
to develop their knowledge and skills in health, nutrition
and medical issues, so that they are not so helpless in
their times of isolation. Earlier this year, SHARE (Services
for Health in Asian and African Regions), a Japanese Non
Government Organisation, used MAF Timor-Leste aircraft
to transport their staff to Atauro Island. SHARE uses
healthcare programs to develop human resources and
assist communities in protecting their health. They have
been working in Timor-Leste for twenty years, especially
supporting school health and community health.
It was an early start to the day as MAF pilots, Jason
Job and Timothy Southcott loaded up their thirteen
passengers on VH-MFM and VH-MQO, to make the fifteen
minute flight to Atauro Island. The passengers included
SHARE staff, both Japanese and Timorese, staff from the
Ministry of Health in Dili who oversee the health services
on the island, as well as a supply of vaccinations, medical
tools for assessing and evaluating people’s health and
personal belongings for their stay on the island.
The SHARE project on Atauro Island started in February
Spring 2019 / FLYING FOR LIFE / 6

2019, after carrying out survey work the previous year,
which revealed the great difficulty that local people on
the island have in accessing health facilities. Many areas
on the island lack reliable transportation due to the
undeveloped roads.
Local people have to walk along steep paths or cliffs for
two or three hours to reach the nearest health facility.
The SHARE project on the island hopes to improve the
quality of care provided by the health facilities, by training
local medical staff to improve their communication skills
and give more training to develop their medical skills.
SHARE will work in partnership with the local medical
staff to conduct mobile medical clinics in the more
remote areas, which will aim to teach local people about
their health.
Aya Kakimoto, a Japanese nurse, recently based on
Atauro Island explains, “Atauro Island is located 25km
offshore from Dili. It is not very far from Dili, but there
is no public transport operating every day between the
two islands. Therefore, it is difficult to visit and carry out
our plan with a limited time schedule. We only had three
available days including a traveling day to conduct our
research and other activities. With the support of the
MAF planes, we were able to carry out our field research,
supervision of health facilities, mobile clinic and meet
with local people. It was an absolutely great opportunity
for all the staff members to observe the health situation
and difficulties that local people are facing on Atauro
Island. We listened to the local people’s voices about
their health situations. We discovered that many children
were not receiving immunisation as scheduled, many
pregnant women were malnourished, and health records
were not completed properly. Now all the staff members
have a common understanding of what must be done to
improve the health status of communities in Atauro. And
we are ready to cooperate with each other to implement
plans.”
During the time the staff from SHARE were working on
the island, they spent many hours walking and travelling
by small local style boat to reach the communities where
their mobile clinics were run. MAF Timor-Leste loves
partnering with organisations like SHARE, who bring
health and education to some of the most difficult to
reach places in our world, like tiny communities on an
island where a plane, boat and a long walk is needed to
visit them.
Spring 2019 / FLYING FOR LIFE / 7

HURRICANE DORIAN:
MAF partners with Samaritan’s Purse and Missionary Flights
International (MFI) to provide Emergency Relief
On the 1st of September 2019, The Bahamas
was hit by a devastatingly powerful storm,
causing widespread destruction as it passed
through the country.
When disaster strikes, MAF partners with
government and aid organisations to reach
those in greatest need. After The Bahamas
felt the force of Hurricane Dorian, MAF
worked with Samaritan’s Purse and MFI
to reach affected communities by air with
critical care and supplies.
Please join us in praying for ongoing relief
efforts, and for the people of The Bahamas
as they embark on a long journey to recovery.
Spring 2019 / FLYING FOR LIFE / 8

5
HURRICANE
CATEGORY
103,808 KGS
CARGO
LOADED
293
FLIGHTS
CONDUCTED
279
PEOPLE
CARRIED
Spring 2019 / FLYING FOR LIFE / 9

MEET JOSEPH TUA
In 2017, Papua New Guinea local Joseph Tua reached out to MAF,
enquiring after details about serving as a pilot in PNG. Two years later,
and Joseph is now officially part of the MAF PNG team, being
accepted as a MAF pilot and completing his training earlier this year.
The Kapal community greeted the Aerial Health Patrol team and pilots with a warm welcome.
Mandy Glass recently sat down with Joseph to find out more about his experience serving with MAF so far.
What does it mean for you finally to sit in the
left hand seat of a Cessna Caravan, beginning
your training to become a MAF PNG Pilot? Share
a bit about your history of how you started to
become a pilot.
To be sitting in the left hand seat of a Caravan and starting
my training to become a MAF Pilot is a big privilege and
a huge honour! I don’t think many people get a chance
like this and I am just blessed. But at the same time it is
stressful – I feel the need to perform to a high standard
and sometimes I question myself if I am able to do this
or if I am worthy to be doing this, you know? But my
biggest drive right now is to serve God and the people of
Papua New Guinea. And so far, flying around the Western
Province bringing medical staff from the Aerial Health
Patrol Project to villages, doing medevacs, and shuttling
people in and out of various isolated places has just been
a joy.
What are the challenges of flying in the Western
Province?
The main challenges of the Western Province would be
weather and the airstrips themselves. We are in the wet
season, so there’s always low cloud and isolated showers
here and there, everywhere. And judging how wet the
airstrips are and whether they are safe to land on or not?
And if you do land, just trying to manage the aircraft on
the ground and not get stuck is another challenge.
What are you looking forward to?
I’m looking forward to getting to know the aircraft and
reading the weather and navigating around the Western
Province and the rest of Papua New Guinea a whole lot
more and a whole lot better. Because then I can go all
out in serving the isolated people all over this beautiful
country.
Joseph, being a Papua New Guinean flying in
your own home country for people living in
remote communities – how does that feel?
It’s an honour! A privilege and a joy! You can see how
much these people rely on air services and just how
grateful and appreciative they are when you land and
park up. It’s more than just flying – it’s about the people.
PNG is more than just the province I come from, it’s
everyone from the Highlands to the Coast and we do our
small part by providing an air service and I hope – sooner
rather than later – that proper roads and services reach
these isolated communities. Some of these communities
are just so isolated you get taken back to the past when
you land and see them.
Spring 2019 / FLYING FOR LIFE / 10

THANK YOU:
Transformed communications in Papua New Guinea
When MAF flights and vehicles travel over thousands of
kilometres in remote areas, a reliable radio system is
essential for communication and safety.
That’s why we’re so thankful for the generous donor who
provided the funds for a new VHF radio repeater system
for the Mt Hagen/Kagamuga area in Papua New Guinea,
as well as radios for all residential compounds and MAF
vehicles in the area.
traffic, through which both major missions (MAF and
Nazarene) can communicate with each other. This has
been a huge blessing to the mission hospital community.
Thank you so much to the generous donor who provided
the funds for this radio system, which has transformed
MAF operations in the area for the benefit of hundreds
of people.
The old Citizen’s Band (UHF) radio system that was
replaced had very broken communications and many
“dead” areas, where radio signals would not reach. These
would also be areas susceptible to poor mobile reception,
so communication was extremely difficult.
The location for the new repeater was investigated
and chosen based on a geographical survey, and was
anticipated it would provide solid radio coverage for
the town of Mt Hagen, the airport and Kudjip Nazarene
Hospital, where MAF takes many medical evacuations
and where MAF vehicles operate to and from on a regular
basis.
Upon testing of the final installation, the radio not
only has coverage as anticipated, but solid and clear
communications to at least 15 kilometres further than
the Nazarene Hospital. During a recent time when staff
needed to reach a vehicle which was on a trip to the
north coast, they were able to connect with the vehicle
nearly 80 kilometres away from base! The project
has made a significant impact in terms of safety for
personnel travelling on the roads, as well as for backup
communications for the residential compounds.
MAF PNG Country Director Todd Aebischer reports, “This
system has radically changed the level of security that we
have. Just recently I received an urgent alert of a large
disturbance that had erupted in the area of our residential
compounds. It happened to occur at the same time that
vehicles were transporting staff home at the end of the
day. Using the radio system, we were able to deliver an
immediate safety advisory to all vehicles and compounds
to avoid the troubled area.
One of the handheld radios charging. One is carried daily
by the Country Director.
Repeater system / rack installed in the radio room at the
base of the antenna. Powered by solar energy, the system
can function even in the absence of grid power.
Plus, since the radio has such a wide area of coverage,
MAF has offered a “channel” to Kudjip Nazarene Hospital
for their vehicles. As such, the system is now running
three distinct channels: #1 MAF Communications, #2
Nazarene Mission Communications, and #3 common
Spring 2019 / FLYING FOR LIFE / 11

COFFEE
TRANSFORMS
THE LIVES OF
VULNERABLE
PEOPLE IN WALES
AND UGANDA
Edith, 70, uses her roasting coffee skills at Zukuka Bora to
provide for her family of 9.
Jill with Nick & Ruth, business consultants from the UK,
established The Zukuka Bora coffee project.
In the mountainous regions of
Eastern Uganda, a fascinating
project has launched that is
impacting people all over the
world, and is benefiting from the
assistance of MAF.
Story and photos Jill Vine
Nick and Ruth, business consultants from the UK,
are involved in a non-profit in Wales that helps
victims of human trafficking develop skills that
will help them break the abusive cycle they are
trapped in. One of the skills the women are taught
is roasting coffee.
Nick and Ruth knew they couldn’t have a coffee
roasting company standing against trafficking, if
the beans themselves were unethically produced.
Ruth explains, ‘The next step was to ensure a
slavery free supply chain from the bean to the
cup.’
Spring 2019 / FLYING FOR LIFE / 12

In April 2018, Nick flew with MAF to Mbale, a city in Eastern
Uganda, to visit various potential coffee suppliers.
There he encountered Zukuka Bora, a coffee growing
cooperative on Mount Elgon run by Christians.
For many years, farmers were being crippled by
middlemen buying their coffee beans at extremely
low rates, often not even paying them. To combat this;
Zukuka Bora was born.
Zukuka Bora is now the supplier for Nick and Ruth’s
project back in Wales, providing ethical ingredients for
the trafficking victims to work with. But the positive
impacts are felt in the Mt Elgon community as well.
Edith is 70 years old and has been widowed for 40
years, providing for her family of 9 dependants. Before
Edith became involved with Zukuka Bora, she was often
promised payment later for her beans by notorious
middlemen who would never return, and others would
pay her very little to use her land.
Now she’s very happy because the farmers are paid well
and Zukuka Bora even pay them a ‘hunger bonus’ in the
low season to keep the families going.
The beans are exported to Australia, the UK and the
USA to speciality merchants, cutting out the middlemen
and connecting directly with buyers, like Nick and Ruth’s
project in Cardiff. The demand is going up and up as
merchants recognise both the ethics and quality of these
particular beans.
THANK YOU
MAF’s involvement in this story was only
possible thanks to one unlikely hero - the
Kajjansi airfield tractor.
Earlier this year MAF supporters like you rallied
together to purchase an urgently needed new
tractor for the Kajjansi airfield in Uganda.
It is this humble tractor that enables all of the
life-transforming activity that flows from the
Uganda airfield, making stories like Edith’s,
possible.
Thank you for partnering with us in making
stories of transformation like this possible!
But the Zukuka Bora project is very remote, and none of
this would be possible without easy access to the area.
Both Nick and Ruth remember how they had tried to
drive the eight gruelling hours to Mbale on one of their
first trips and Nick was sick the entire road trip. Ruth also
recalls how she once took a coach and the brakes failed
and they ended up driving in the dark on a very ‘hairraising’
trip.
The couple have flown three times with MAF since and
added, ‘Now that we’ve started, we won’t be able to stop.
This trip we only had a week to have meetings in Kampala
and some in Mbale and Soroti. It wouldn’t be possible to
do all of that in one week without flying.’ Staff at Zukuka
Bora also note how their international buyers always fly
in with MAF for the same time constraint reasons, and
wouldn’t be able to attempt the road trip if MAF wasn’t
available.
The Zukuka Bora coffee project is transforming this
community, as MAF flights make it possible for the
farmers to connect with buyers who care about sourcing
high quality, ethically produced beans.
Spring 2019 / FLYING FOR LIFE / 13

COMMUNITY NEWS
75TH ANNIVERSARY GALA DINNER
Next year will mark 75 years of MAF Australia! To celebrate and give thanks to
God for all that He has done through MAF over the years, we will be hosting a
celebratory gala dinner in Melbourne. Seats are limited.
DATE: 16th May, 2020 LOCATION: Melbourne, Victoria
BOOK TICKETS: www.maf.org.au/anniversarygaladinner
RIDE FOR FUEL
We would like to extend a huge thank you to all of our riders
and supporters who participated in this year’s first Ride for Fuel
event on the South Coast NSW. With our inaugural off-road ride
to commence in December, please pray for a safe and successful
ride for all involved in the Snowy Mountains NSW!
If you would like to sponsor a rider, please head to:
www.rideforfuel.maf.org.au
MAF AUSTRALIA 2020 SPECIAL
EDITION CALENDAR OUT NOW!
Our MAF Australia 2020 calendar is now available!
If you haven’t already received a copy and would like to,
please get in touch with us on 1800 650 169.
TRANSFORM LIVES
WITH A GIFT IN YOUR WILL
If and when the time is right for you to include a gift to a charity in
your Will, please remember MAF.
After you have provided for your family, a gift to MAF in your Will,
whatever size, will make a real difference to the remote and isolated people.
For further information and resources, please contact Edgar
Voigts (Relationship Manager) on 1800 650 169 or
e-mail: edgar.voigts@maf.org.au

RE-THINK MISSION
As the need for staff continues to grow in many
of our locations we invite you to consider
the part you could play in this global mission. We
have experienced an increasing need for senior
management staff with a background in leading
cross-cultural teams at a senior level. Our operational
teams are still in need of finance professionals
in some of our locations. We are continuing our
search for aircraft engineers and encourage
interest in our MAF apprenticeship program,
as well as interest in our Aircraft Maintenance
Engineering roles (both licensed and unlicensed).
Please don’t hesitate to share this with people you
know and get in touch with us if you’re interested
in having a conversation about any of our
opportunities. Head over to our current vacancy
page and consider how you can help.
Sincerely,
Kuren Galant
Recruitment Manager
Critical Vacancies
Management
Country Director/Program Manager
Various locations
Deputy Country Director/
Deputy Program Manager
Various locations
Finance
Head of Finance
PNG
Management Accountant
South Sudan
Engineering
Aircraft Engineer - Training Specialist
Bangladesh
Chief Engineer
Liberia
Licensed Aircraft Maintenance
Engineer
Various locations
Maintenance Training Manager
Mareeba
To see a complete list of vacancies, head to:
maf.org.au/current-vacancies
Flying for Life (ISSN: 2202-0365)
Design/Editor: Cadence Media (cadencemedia.com.au)
Printer: Camerons Group
Flying for Life is the official magazine of Mission Aviation Fellowship
and MAF Technology Services in Australasia. Articles may be printed
with acknowledgment. Flying for Life is a member publication of the
Australasian Religious Press Association.
If you no longer wish to receive Flying for Life (MAF News), please advise
us at: MAF Australia 1800 650 169 and your name and details will be
removed from our distribution list.
Front Cover Image: Mandy Glass
MAF Australia ABN 26 134 583 887
PO Box 7187 Baulkham Hills NSW 2153
Contact: 1800 650 169 | 02 8014 6450
maf@maf.org.au | www.maf.org.au
Privacy Statement
MAF is committed to your privacy. We will only disclose your
information in accordance with our Privacy Statement and/
or with your permission. Our Privacy Statement explains what
information we collect from you and how we intend to use it.
You can view our Privacy Statement at maf.org.au

C: 100 M: 57 Y: 0 K: 40
YOUR GIFT MAKES
A BIG DIFFERENCE!
This Christmas season, buy a gift that changes lives. Your gift through
the MAF online Christmas catalogue will help deliver practical or
spiritual care to people living with the deepest human needs.
It’s easy to gain a spare tyre during Christmas.
So I gave this one to MAF
.
Visit our full range of gifts at
mafgifts.org.au
CMYK
COLOURS
C: 5 M: 100 Y: 71 K: 22
C: 0 M: 1 Y: 0 K: 51
1800 650 169 | +61 2 8014-6450 | maf@maf.org.au
PO Box 7187 Baulkham Hills 2153
COMPASS CREATIVE STUDIO INC
title: MAF LOGO WITH TAG - CMYK
201-3228 south service rd
client: Mission Aviation Fellowship
burlington, on L7N 3H8
date: June 2012
www.compasscreative.ca
designer(s): Jason Bouwman
FOLLOW MAF ON:
www.maf.org.au