Monthly medical care
In partnership with Haydom hospital, MAF flies a monthly medial safari to take a team of doctors and nurses to eight remote villages located to the south-west of Arusha . Usually serving well over 1000 people each month, the safari is very valuable to the area. In some villages, there are so many patients to see that our pilots are called upon to help with registration and admin tasks so that all the work can be done in the time available.
Mums and babies
On a recent trip, in one village alone the team of four nurses examined 126 pregnant women, dispensed 585 vaccines to children and performed 223 infant health checks.
Airstrip maintenance
The safari also provided the opportunity for the pilot to assess airstrip conditions in each village, and discuss with local residents what maintenance is required for the plane to be able to continue coming and going safely.
Managing remote strips is one of the biggest challenges for our team. In the last few years, the creation of an Airfield Development Team (ADT) and the provision of equipment for their work has helped MAF Tanzania to be able to tackle the issues more effectively.
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Maasai evangelists report on 2020
Malambo has been a regular destination for MAF for over 30 years, thanks to a partnership with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania (ELCT) to fly monthly evangelistic safaris. Over three days our planes transport Maasai evangelists to multiple villages so they can teach and encourage the churches that meet in isolated locations. The Malambo Bible College provides training for these workers, equipping them to reach out to remote communities, to disciple new believers and to support other Christian leaders.
A month’s work in two days
Rev Isaya Lee Sitayo, a Maasai himself, is the current pastor of Malambo, joined a recent MAF flight along with his family. ‘MAF helps me to go to places I could not go before,’ he says. ‘Through MAF it takes two days to do the work that would otherwise take one month to cover.’ His work includes preaching the Gospel, baptisms, Bible teaching, seminars and prayer meetings for the sick. He leads Sunday services in church and is also involved in Christian education in the local primary and secondary schools.
Elisha ole Moita, lead evangelist and main teacher at the Bible School in Malambo, is also very grateful for the benefits of flying. ‘Through the work of MAF we are really seeing the hand of God: when MAF works with us, it means we can harvest much fruit.’
A good harvest
Elisha was glad to report that the Covid pandemic has not negatively impacted their work. ‘At the beginning, people were so frightened when they heard about Corona but they really depended on God, and God really saved us.’ He continued, ‘This year we have baptised more than 130 adults, which is a real blessing, a really good harvest. God is continuing working and delivering people from their traditional beliefs, so instead of worshipping idols and other creatures, now they can believe and they can worship the real God.’
It is a privilege for MAF to continue supporting the work of the Masaai evangelists, seeing the fruits of their faithful labours over so many years.
