Breakthrough Disaster Relief Flight to Kasese
The day has finally arrived our team has waited and worked towards for the last 2 long months. Sam Baguma and others in the team have been communicating with the Office of the Prime Minister to find a way to bring cargo to the people suffering in Kasese after flash-flooding displaced 25,000 people. We asked for prayer re the perfect storm that was happening in Uganda combined with a crippling 10 week lockdown, all flights being grounded because of the restrictions, our flooded airstrip in Kajjansi, major flooding in many parts of the country including the recent Kasese disaster, also on the Sesse Islands on Lake Victoria. Just to add to the mix, a 20 times stronger than last year, swarm of locusts heading its way across East Africa.
This week we have seen some hope. Hope feels so beautiful. It helps us to keep going. There hasn’t been heavy rain the last 5 days which gives a chance for our airstrip to dry out and lake levels to decrease. We were suddenly given permission to help fly cargo to Kasese to bring welcome relief to the local people. Pilot Greg Vine was ready in 20 minutes answering the call to head out to Entebbe where FRM was waiting and ready for the emergency flight. Our team spent the entire day loading three of our aircraft in Entebbe. The next day another of our fleet was successfully flown out of Kajjansi airfield to meet the other three planes, fully loaded with relief for the people in Kasese who watched their homes washed away 2 weeks ago.
We are so relieved that we have been able to shoulder with Uganda, although the time of waiting hasn’t been easy, it makes us even more thankful for this breakthrough and we want to celebrate this first flight since March 22nd.
Please continue to keep our program in your prayers as we hopefully forge ahead where MAF is most needed. Also pray for flooding to continue to dissipate, for restrictions to allow the poor to return to their livelihoods, but most of all for Uganda to turn their eyes to their Father for His mercy and healing and for us as a community to do all we can to stand with them in this difficult time.
Jill Vine
MAF Communications