MAF in Papua New Guinea
The coming years will be critical for hundreds of thousands of people in Papua New Guinea. With its unique geography, diverse people groups, deteriorating economy and road system, political instability and widespread insecurity, the need for MAF’s help there is greater than ever. All over the country there are large communities without road access - people are totally dependent on MAF, not just for bringing medical workers, school teachers and the materials to build their schools, but to carry their only means of income (coffee in most parts) and to bring in goods for their community trade stores.
MAF’s work in PNG started in 1951. With the growth of a strong PNG Church, our role has developed from mostly supporting expatriate missionaries to meeting the air service needs of local Church pastors, Bible Colleges, teachers, students and medical staff.
A vital aspect of our role is the provision of air transport for people in remote or isolated communities with no other means of assistance. Day to day, and in times of emergency or family crisis, MAF is their lifeline. Communities rely on our aircraft and the tiny bush airstrips as their primary means of transport. Flying includes transport for medical evacuations to hospitals in the main centres, health, education, essential supplies, community development projects, government, businesses, aid agencies, primary produce, mail and building supplies. Carrying local vegetables and coffee to market enables people in remote places to generate income, facilitate community development, provide school fees, and support local pastors. Essential supplies are regularly flown into these communities.
The MAF PNG headquarters, engineering and flight training facilities are centrally located in the highlands town of Mount Hagen. There are 13 aircraft operating from Goroka in the east, Rumginae and Telefomin in the west and Wewak in the north. The fleet consists of 3 DHC-6 Twin Otters, 1 Cessna 208 Caravan, 5 Cessna 206s, 3 GA8 Airvans and 1 Cessna 172.
There are currently 35 international staff groups in the country. We also employ over 100 national staff, working at these bases.
Types of flying MAF does in PNG:
Medical Emergencies
Missions
Church Health Services
Relief Flying (due to disasters)
Churches
Training of Church and Mission Workers
Remote Public
Remote Teachers
Government Health Services
Basic Literacy Programs
MAF Staff Travel
Community Health Education
Community School Teachers and Students
High School Teachers and Students
Training of Health Workers
Training of Teachers
Remote Trade Stores
Funerals/Body Charters
Agricultural Production
Remote University Students
Community Development Projects
Government Services
Commercial Business (mining, tourism etc)
Organisations that MAF flies in PNG:
Anglican Church
Assemblies of God (AOG)
Association of Baptists for World Evangelism (ABWE)
Apostolic Church of PNG
Association of Local Churches
Baptist Missionary Church
Baptist Union of PNG
Bible Society
Christ for the Nation
Christian Apostolic Fellowship (CAF)
Christian Bretheran Church (CBC)
Christian Leaders Training College (CLTC)
Christian Life Centre (CLC)
Christian Outreach Centre (COC)
Christian Radio Missionary Fellowship
Christian Revival Crusade (CRC)
Christian Union Church
Church of Christ
Church of the Nazerene
Evangelical Brotherhood Church (EBC)
Evangelical church of Manus
Evangelical church of PNG
Evangelical Lutheran Church
Evangelical Missions Association
Every Home for Christ
Faith Fellowship
Four Square
Global Recording Network
Gutnius Lutheran Church (GLC)
Karimui Baptist
Language Recordings
Libenzell
New Tribes
Open Bible Church
Outreach International
Owena Baptist
Pacific Island Ministries (PIM)
Pioneer Bible Translators (PBT)
Pioneers
Plantation Fellowship Ministries
PNG Bible Church
Salvation Army
Sepik Christian Mission
South Seas Evangelical Church (SSEC)
United Church
Wesleyan
Word for the World
World Vision
Wycliffe Bible Translators
YWAM
Demographics
PNG has the 33rd lowest Human Development Index rating in the world
- Population: 5,795,887 (UK: 61 million)
- Birth rate: 28 births/1,000 population (UK: 11 births/1,000)
- Life expectancy at birth: 66 years (UK: 79 years)
- Population under 15 years: 37% (UK: 17%)
- High infant mortality: more than 1 in 21 die at birth (UK: 1 in 200 die at birth)
- Population below the poverty line: 37%
- HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate: 0.6% of population (UK: 0.2%)
- Literacy rate: 57% (UK: 99%)
Infrastructure
The rugged, mountainous terrain can severely hamper overland travel, completely isolating communities
- Area of the country: 178,704 sq miles (UK: 94,525 sq miles)
- 12,179 miles of roads, but only 426 miles of paved roads (UK: 241,104 miles – all paved)
- 578 landing strips, or which only 21 are paved
Economy
Richly endowed with natural resources, economic development is slowly growing, but is hampered by rugged terrain, the consequent high cost of developing infrastructure and until recently, decades of governmental instability
- 85% of the population employed in agriculture, fishing and forestry
- Main exports include oil, gold, copper ore, logs, palm oil, coffee, cocoa, crayfish, and prawns
Environment
PNG consists of mostly high mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling foothills, including one of world’s largest swamps. Human activity has led to environmental issues:
- rainforest subject to deforestation because of growing commercial demand for tropical timber
- pollution from mining projects
- severe drought
Climate
A country with a tropical climate, slight seasonal temperature variation and two monsoon seasons. Situated along the Pacific “Ring of Fire” can also create natural hazards which pose a serious threat:
- active volcanoes
- frequent and sometimes severe earthquakes
- mud slides
- tsunamis
Religion
Freedom of religion. Almost the entire population has links to a Christian denomination. Old ethnic religions remain a powerful underlying influence
- Protestant 59.4%
- Roman Catholic 27%
- Seventh-Day Adventist 10%
- indigenous beliefs 3.3%
- Bahai 0.3%