MAF in Lesotho
MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) provides vital aviation and radio communications services to national churches, the Flying Doctor Service, Christian missions, and nongovernment organisations (NGOs) ministering in Lesotho.
The Need:
One could easily name this small African nation “the kingdom in the sky.” The lowest spot in this rugged country rises 4,583 feet above sea level. Smaller than the state of Maryland and completely surrounded by the nation of South Africa, Lesotho is a mountainous country made up of tiny, often inaccessible villages.
The few available roads are poor, rendering transportation insufficient and unsafe. The communications system within the country is inadequate at best. Nearly half of all the native Basotho people are unemployed. More than one-third of the men have left the country seeking employment as miners or agricultural workers in South Africa.
Due to persistent drought and resultant famine, the people of Lesotho are dependent upon food aid for their survival. In 2007, the worst drought year in three decades, some 400,000 people—a fifth of the total population—were in need of food aid. By July 2008, the price of maize meal, the staple food in Lesotho, had increased by more than 55 percent over the previous year. According to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), some 38 percent of Lesotho’s children under age five are chronically malnourished. Recent droughts have dried up 30 percent of the country’s water sources. The Lesotho Department of Rural Water Supply and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MoSW) state that 60 percent of the country’s health centers and 30 percent of homes do not have access to clean, safe water.
Even with favorable weather conditions, less than 10 percent of the land is arable. The lack of roads and ruggedness of the terrain make it nearly impossible to provide farmers with fertilizer and seeds at the ideal planting time. There is no irrigation farming or agricultural infrastructure. Assessment teams suspect the country’s cereal production is in a downward trend caused by long-term soil erosion, erratic weather, and the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
As much as 32 percent of Lesotho’s population is infected with the HIV/AIDS virus, and 100,000 AIDS orphans live in mountain villages with little or no access to medical services. Households caring for orphans and chronically ill family members frequently have nothing to eat.
While AIDS continues to be an alarming threat to Lesotho and its people, land degradation, capacity depletion, and economic decline hinder the assistance efforts of humanitarian, development, and mission organisations.
Although some 90 percent of Lesotho’s population considers itself Christian, traditionalism and nominal Christianity is widespread with little understanding of the truth of the Gospel.
The Solution:
Since 1980, MAF has provided safe, efficient air transportation for the Lesotho Flying Doctor Service (LFDS). In addition, MAF provides weekly flights to six health clinics operated by Partners In Health (PIH). Nearly 200,000 people depend solely on LFDS and PIH for medical care.
Currently, MAF serves 12 rural mountain health posts from 22 dirt airstrips carved into the nation’s rugged mountains. MAF services enable the work of 38 partner agencies, including Africa Inland Mission (AIM), Southern Baptist Mission, William J. Clinton Foundation, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Samaritan’s Purse, and Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM).
In the past year, MAF has seen a 10 percent increase in the number of emergency medical evacuation flights, as there are more doctors in the mountains to treat patients and send them to hospitals. More missionaries are also coming to the mountains, which adds to the demand for MAF services.
Demographics
Lesotho has the 40th lowest Human Development Index rating in the world
- Population: 2,128,180 (UK: 61 million)
- Birth rate: 24.41 births/1,000 population (UK: 11 births/1,000)
- Life expectancy at birth: 40.17 years (UK: 79 years)
- Population under 15 years: 35.3% (UK: 17%)
- High infant mortality: more than 1 in 13 die at birth (UK: 1 in 200 die at birth)
- Population below the poverty line: 49%
- HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate: 28.9% of population (UK: 0.2%)
- Literacy rate: 84.8% (UK: 99%)
Infrastructure
The jagged terrain and poor road system severely impedes overland travel
- Area of the country: 11,720 sq miles (UK: 94,525 sq miles)
- 3,691 miles of roads in total, but only 675 miles of paved roads. (UK: 241,104 miles - all paved)
- 28 airstrips of which 25 are unpaved
Economy
Lesotho's economy is primarily based upon subsistence agriculture, which itself is challenged with drought. Other sectors of the economy are closely linked to neighbouring South Africa, with many citizens employed there and agricultural and manufacturing products exported there. Lesotho has also benefited through providing water to South Africa, and has a growing assembly industry. Yet, the extreme inequality in the distribution of income remains a major drawback
- 86% of the resident population employed in subsistence agriculture (35% of male wage earners work on neighbouring South Africa)
- Main exports include manufactures (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals
Environment
Lesotho is small, landlocked and surrounded by South Africa, dominated by plateaus, hills and mountains. More than 80% of the country is 1,800 metres above sea level. There are serious environmental threats:
- Overgrazing due to population pressure forcing settlement in marginal areas
- Severe soil erosion and soil exhaustion
- Desertification
- Highlands Water Project controls, stores and redirects water to South Africa
Climate
Lesotho's high altitude results in a temperate climate with hot, wet summers but cool to cold, dry winters. Natural hazards are:
Religion
There is religious freedom in Lesotho. The dominance of the Catholic Church and its control of much of the educational system has contributed to political instability
- Christian: 80%
- indigenous beliefs: 20%