Wings of love to people in need

27 May 2015

Update 24th May 15


One of our highlights is taking people back to their village with restored health following a medevac. One week after we brought out little Akimo, hanging onto life by a thread, we took him and his mum back to their village of Nkonde. A week of malaria treatment and care has restored this little guy’s life.

This last week has been Government vaccination campaign. I’ve taken 2 teams from 2 provincial hospitals into 4 villages most days and vaccinated over 4,000 women and children.
Plus, I did another 3 medevacs this week.

The bible teaching program in the village of Malicholo continues with increasing interest from folks each day. 78 people gathered on Thursday to watch the team role play the story of Noah and then break into small groups for discussion. There are a few educated people in this village and it seems to function well. They are asking for schooling. Pray that we will know how best to engage with this village. 


Government vaccination campaign week. Hundreds turned out in many villages.

The start of the rice harvest. An exciting time for many.

The story of Noah being acted out for an enthusiastic Moslem audience in the village of Molicholo.

Little Akimo arrived home fit and well after a week.

This is why access is so difficult in the delta. The area is riddled with these.
Medevac of 45 year old Virginia with a huge cancerous growth on her leg.

Kids pull their weight around here.
Thank you.

Dean & Kaylene for the Mercy Air team

20 May 2015

Update 17th May 15


There’s no evidence that the political situation mentioned last week has deteriorated past talk, however there are rumblings and fear in the villages out in the delta.

The bible teaching program was initiated in a new village this week [Malocholo]. It turns out they were very receptive to the Bible teaching program and want more! Please pray this will continue well.

When I dropped Kaylene and the education team in the village of Nkonde, we were pursued by a woman pleading for help with a semi-conscious 3 year old – Akimo. He’d been in this state for 3 days and having convulsions. He was in advanced stages of malaria. We flew him to Marromeu hospital where Leanna was not optimistic he would make it through the night. It took some time to get an IV into him, but yesterday he had 'turned the corner' and we are hopeful he may have a future.


Kaylene has the pleasure of teaching not just kids. Some have a few years of schooling.

Lots of kids are absent from school. They spend hours each day in these little watch towers frightening off birds by bashing tin cups together. The rice is nearly ready for harvest.

Gloria holding little Akimo - explaining his symptoms. Maria takes time to pray first.

Ali on the satellite phone describes Akimo’s symptoms to Leanna back at Marromeu.

Little Akimo totally unresponsive in his Dad’s arms at the helicopter.

Nurse Leanna meets us at the helipad back at Marromeu and takes 3 yr old Akimo [and mum Torina] to hospital.
Thank you.

Dean and Kaylene for the Mercy Air team.

07 May 2015

Update 7th May 15


It usually takes about an hour after the helicopter overflies the village until people start coming to the clinic.
Dr’s consultation room . . . look familiar?
The only thing special about this place is the name. Milibangalala. It took me a while to be able to say it.
The crowd starts to gather at Maduvula 2. Mostly mums and babies. This place is as dry as Weetbix!
The water from the village well turned 'salty' and is unsuitable for drinking,  so folks travel 15km to get their drinking water. The local school teacher told me he gets by on 5 litres of water per week!
Thank you

Dean and Kaylene for the Mercy Air team

05 May 2015

ASAM Mozambique

Mercy Air recently took a team up to ASAM in Mozambique for a week again. Nigel and Erin are from Birmingham in the UK, Karrel is from the Netherlands, Anne is from South Africa and Paul and Cathy used to live in the UK once upon a time but now work for Mercy Air.

We were there to support ongoing medical and education projects as well as practical motor mechanics and plumbing.

A beautiful day to get there with our direct  2 1/2 hour flight saving two full days of driving.

  We're still amazed at the remoteness of the of the places we fly to.
On the way in we did fly over the bridge that we helped to build last year.
When we arrived we were told to stay indoors for a while as the HALO Trust who do land mine clearing and whom Princess Dianna championed, were destroying an RPG-7 grenade. These were designed to down helicopters and penetrate tank armour.
Apparently kids are told that inside these grenades is either a chemical that they can sell to make them unbelievably rich for life or a substance that can cure any illness. One of the guys at ASAM found some kids in a village trying to get into a 30 year old unexploded grenade by bashing the end of it with a hammer. He stopped them and took the grenade to a safe place - the wardrobe in his bedroom! He told the local police twice about it and eventually met some HALO guys a year later. They were a bit more concerned and came round the next day to blow it up - and that was the day we arrived.

We went to the site a few days later after they had filled the hole in. It didn't look much but being rocket propelled they reckoned most of it had gone deep into the ground.
After the fireworks we got stuck in. First up was a job for our Dutch super plumber.
Nigel and Paul went off to help install some solar panels for a gate motor.
People are very resourceful in Mozambique. They have no permanent electricity, relying instead on generators which only run some of the day. Hot water in the evening is provided by 'lighting the donkey' which works remarkably well.
The next day Nigel and Paul went to the motor workshop that Rick Cogbill had helped set up over the last few years. We had flown Rick and his supplies up many times and now we were able to help Prospa, the Mozambican guy he had trained up with a few jobs. Handy that Nigel was an ex fire engine mechanic.

One of the first jobs was the tracking on a Toyota 4x4.
Then there was the engine bash plate that had been... bashed a little out of shape.
We found out that Prospa was in need of a 3/8 drive torque wrench so we took one up for him.
It turns out that the heat and moisture up in Moz can quite effect the way doors fit so in-between hammering and banging and the odd bit of plumbing we were also kept busy planeing and sanding.
The day after we visited the mission's school about a bumpy 20 km ride away and the one that the bridge services.

The church that Nigel and Erin are from are part of a larger group that are raising funds to support various projects and the most recent is a house for two female teachers.
We met the teachers and viewed the progress.

Framed
When finished it should look like the one already built for the male staff.
We saw the library that had been funded last year...
...and looked in on a class in progress.


Seems all the kids wanted to hold Cathy's hand.
After that we went to see the bridge which apparently getting loads of use.
On the way back from the school we came across the Health Department's vaccination team truck stuck in the mud - and helped them get it unstuck.
That evening we just had time to climb 'The Rock' which is a small outcrop that juts out just above the canopy to reveal an amazing amount of space.
The guys up at ASAM have had an impressive array of interesting pets in their time and the latest is an orphaned baboon named Amigo. They take him for walks and are quite tuned to his moods though his different styles of communication. They can tell when he's bored, sad, angry, excited etc just by the change in his mannerisms and 'voice'.
 Turns out he's also a bit of a poser though.
 Nigel gave the morning talk at the start of the last full day.
 Then it was back to the workshop for us.
 First up was the wood-shop's compressor - that wasn't compressing.
 Turns out it was the head gasket.
 So happy was the customer that he shook our hands when we returned it fixed.
Then there was a military looking jack hammer, the sort you might choose if ever you felt you needed to invade a small neighbouring country.
We got it going and it promptly went and jack hammered itself into the ground which then took a bit of getting out!

Sharp teeth, lethal sting, lightening reflexes and the appetite of a raging carnivore are all things the African Killer Snail does not have. Still flippin' big though.

While the boys were doing all the blokey things the girls were none less busy.
Erin got stuck into the ladies craft scheme at the training centre and helped out on a treadle sewing machine.

 Cathy also spent some time there
Anne went up to continue with the education programe.
 Cathy also did some teaching on health issues.
The last day there was just enough time for the traditional ' pre-departure' photo and we were off back to South Africa.
Thank you

Mercy Air team