MAF in Uganda acted as a key link in the cold-chain for cholera vaccines that were needed two countries away, in distant Sudan.
“There is a cholera outbreak in the Nuba mountains where we work, and we are taking these vaccines to our staff,” said Sam, an aid worker for an organisation that creates literacy and development material for ethnic groups in Sudan.
Sam, with his wife and their two children, is grateful that MAF was available to help them connect on their journey to Sudan, carrying essential cholera vaccines. They boarded a Cessna Caravan to Arua in northern Uganda from Kajjansi Airfield in Uganda’s capital, Kampala.
“Cholera vaccines have run out in the Sudan, so we came all the way to Kampala, Uganda to buy some for our staff, and a few more for our partners,” Sam added.
Out of the 80 doses, 40 will be used by aid workers who will take two doses each, while the rest will be shared with Mother Mercy Catholic hospital.
Cholera is a life-threatening bacterial disease that spreads quickly through contaminated water and food. It can cause severe diarrhoea, dehydration and even death if untreated.
Vaccines are a delicate product and need a cool environment to survive. Transporting them by air is the safest means, especially over long distances.
The Nuba mountains is a war zone, and aid workers find difficulty accessing it.
It would take Sam nearly twelve hours to connect to Arua by road from Kampala, while a MAF flight gets to the same destination in slightly over an hour.
“We are grateful that MAF can fly us part of the journey,” Sam said. “They also help us to fly Bibles and literacy materials to help people learn to read.”
We are grateful that MAF can fly us part of the journey
Often, when the MAF in Uganda team flies Sam to Arua, he is picked up by an aircraft from MAF in South Sudan who then fly them to the Sudan border, from where they can find other means to reach the Nuba mountains where they serve.
Sam and his wife spent the first few years of their relocation learning culture and language. Their passion for missions is evident.
“For both of us, when we were growing up, we had a heart to reach unreached people. We felt God pushing us to people who do not have the gospel.”