This story is from the Carin LeRoy, who I flew a few times during our time in Rumginae. The most vivid memory is the loss of one main wheel while landing at their airstrip in Yehebi, when we stayed overnight in their house until we were "rescued" the next morning.
Since a few years, MAF supports Kompiam Hospital with flights for their regular health patrols. Whereas before, these had to be done on foot, with up to 2 days of walking, the same areas can now be reached with 20-min flights. In addition, the area of operation could be increase, serving villages that could not be reached before. See below a short (or longer) video of one of these Clinic Patrols.
MAF Papua New Guinea got a new airplane. This is the 10th aircraft added to our fleet of Cessna Caravans, C208. The registration AHP is witness to its origin and purpose: to fly medical patrols in the Western Province (Aerial Health Patrol).
Roughly double the size of Switzerland the Western Province only has 5 hospitals, 2 of which have a doctor on a permanent basis. That is why the vast majority of people living in the Western Province do not have any access to health services. Several years ago, MAF started an initiative to fly a team of medical personell to a remote village where they attend to the sick and provide health education. Looking for a sponsor MAF partnered with Sustainable Development Programme (SDP). In the meantime this organisation has taken over the whole project and with AHP has already donated the second aircraft for MAF PNG.
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Dedication of P2-AHP from MAF PNG on Vimeo. |
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| Arrival of P2-AHP in Mt Hagen |
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| AHP Team in Habi, Western Province |
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| Dr John doing a check-up on an infant |
This week we finally made it: We have arrived in Ukarumpa, our new home for 1 year. After having packed for several weeks, we loaded up our Cara-van (aka moving van) and flew, with a 4-day layover in Mt Hagen, Eastbound past Goroka to Ukarumpa in the Eastern Highlands. Here Niklas will visit 3 years of High School and hopefully Joelle will join him next year.
We now stay in a ex MAF hostel (boarding home) with 11 rooms looking after our kids and a friend's teenager, hoping that the newly hired dorm parents will arrive Q2 2022 so that we can move on.
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| Steven giving Lucien a briefing |
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| Moving with a plane: Cara-van |
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| Fully loaded cabin |
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| Ukarumpa |
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| Bischoffs and Sachh in front of the hostel |
On 7 May MAF celebrates its 70th anniversary of operating in the country of Papua New Guinea. This makes it the longest continues air service in this nation.
Today we finally made it: after 11 months we are back at our Telefomin base. What was supposed to be a 5-month trip to Switzerland turned into a double-the-time journey due to COVID delays. Now, we are glad to settle in our own house again and stop living out of suitcases.
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| Welcome party in Telefomin: MAF Staff |
After a 2-month delay we are now on our way to Papua New Guinea. We were fortunate enough to catch a ride with a World Food Programme Charter from Kuala Lumpur to Port Moresby.
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| Waiting for departure in Zürich |
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| En-route to Doha - Kuala Lumpur - Port Moreseby |
When we left PNG end of June and arrived in Switzerland in the heat of the summer we never thought it might end like this:
It was a Wednesday when we pooled all our winter clothes, mittens, and toque, hopped in the car and drove to Meiringen in the Bernese Alps (past Interlaken at the other side of Lake Brienz). We bought a day pass and took the cable car to Hasliberg, where we rented four toboggans. Despite initial moaning about being cold it was only several rides later that we actually stopped as mum and dad, being utterly exhausted, had to call it quits.
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| A day to remember: tobogganing in Switzerland |