Rietveld is an active participant in the MAF Business Club.
MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) is there for people living in remote areas.
With 130 aircraft and means of communication, MAF makes them accessible for ongoing medical, spiritual and developmental assistance.
That is why MAF flies a large number of development organizations such as ZOA, Tutapona, Save The Children and Plan International, across the country and to the most remote areas to show something of God’s love to people.
Floods, locust infestation and large flows of refugees in 2020.
Uganda and its people certainly do not have it easy.
Yet they prove themselves to be true go-getters who immediately resume their lives and carry on despite all that has happened.
In 2020, the Ugandan government issued an interim no-fly order that also made no exception for MAF.
Only at the time of the flooding was a special emergency permission granted.
In no time at all, MAF then flew a cargo of 30,242 kg of relief supplies such as food, blankets and medicine to alleviate the greatest need.
An employee of a partner organization expressed his thanks: “Thank you, MAF, for your excellent support with the logistics of all the relief efforts.”
Resuming flights
Since September 2020, all aircraft have been allowed to fly in Uganda again.
The relief at both MAF and partner organizations cannot be denied.
Director of the Lutheran World Federation, Jesse Kamstra, explains:
“I wanted to make a short visit to the people of the North to the West Nile region. However, due to COVID-19 measures, MAF could not fly and I had to switch to the car. I would have preferred not to do that. In fact, my round trip now lasted five days instead of two and was by no means pleasant. The roads are already bad under normal conditions, but in the rainy season they suddenly turn into rivers and mud pools. I would rather travel these roads by snorkel than by car! We were stuck several times during the same trip and even had to be towed once to get out. It is great that MAF was able to resume flights, as I have had to make several of these five-day trips recently when MAF was not flying. As soon as I knew that MAF had received permission to fly, I immediately let the rest of the country directors in the NGO community know that flights are back on.”
The news spread quickly and just as soon the flight schedule was filled, as the need remains great and has only grown during the no-fly period.
MAF pilot Gregory Vine said, “Hundreds of our partners with whom we normally fly were unable to work during this time or struggled with the minimum number of road trips allowed. I can only imagine how difficult this time was for those accustomed to accessing a whole range of support, services and ministries through our partners.”
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Visit MAF’ s website for more information.
