Page 45 - World Airnews Magazine August 2020

FEATURE

AVIATION MISSION REACHES

THE ISOLATED

Story by Amber Thomson, photos from MAF sources

Before any flights could successfully take In far northeast corner of Australia’s

place, the greatest need was to ensure northern territory, the MAF programmes
s the state of the world remains safety measures and hygiene practices. in Arnhem Land have transported 450

Auncertain, levels of lockdown and MAF has implemented precautions like kg of food donated by local supermarket

self-isolation fluctuate with time, the need screening all passengers, wearing off Woolworths into Aboriginal communities

for consistency and help grows stronger, masks throughout the entire day and, most on Howard Island. This has been of great

especially within Africa. This is where the importantly, sanitising every single part of significance as it helped the Yolngu stay in

service provided by Mission Aviation Fel- the plane once a flight is complete. These their community, further preventing risk

lowship becomes increasingly important. measures extend to also include plastic of COVID-19 exposure. As well as this, MAF

Under the COVID-19 restrictions and shields between the pilot and the cargo or supporters united in donating a few hun-

regulations within different countries, this passengers. dred face masks to the programme, which
were sent to the Laynhapuy Homelands

global non profit organisation that uses In South Sudan, Liberia, Indonesia and Aboriginal Corporation to be used by local

aviation to assist communities MAF has Madagascar, pilots and teams have used doctors, nurses, and clinicians.

conducted many different missions aimed the MAF aircraft to transport front-line
at bringing hope, health and assistance. responders into areas that would be close MAF has transported medical supplies,

In South Africa, where large families to impossible to test otherwise. These tests personal protective equipment, testing kits

are forced to “isolate”, often in very small have also been flown back to hospitals and and equipment and essential personnel.

dwellings, the situation has become des- testing centres to receive results and act They have even taken the time to educate

perate. MAF partnered with Flying for Life accordingly. The most important part- communities, who have little communica-
tion otherwise, on the dangers of COVID-19

to bring Help, Hope and Healing within the nership in these cases has been with the and safety measures, such as social distanc-
country. Flying for Life, another non-prof- governments and response teams in these

it aviation organisation, seeks to bring countries and the partnership continues to ing and hygiene practices.

sustainable solutions to grow stronger. With much of the circumstance sur-

isolated communities across rounding COVID-19 seeming
South Africa. Its main proj- hopeless and overwhelming,
ect in this time of Covid-19 these stories of hope and

has focused on giving food help bring great encourage-
packs, clothes and other ment and joy to the MAF

essential items to families in team who continue the mis-

need across Gauteng. The sion set out before them.
aid goes to those who are As Mark Blomberg, MAF’s
experiencing poverty and programme manager in
have no way of making an Bangladesh, said, “Right
income under the current now, we just want to

COVID-19 regulations. maintain a readiness and an
Beyond South Africa, MAF ability to respond as need-
has also taken on projects to ed.” And this is the attitude
help prevent the spread of of MAF programmes across
COVID-19. the globe. Q
World Airnews | August 2020
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