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Welcome to Papua New Guinea

Find out more about the community in Papua New Guinea

PNG was one of MAF’s first ventures, and quickly grew to become our largest operation. The sheer isolation and challenging terrain made it a perfect fit for our mission: to see isolated people physically and spiritually transformed.

Since 1951, MAF has been the only way to access hundreds of tiny, hidden and sometimes dangerous tribal villages which remain cut off from the outside world. For many indigenous communities, MAF has helped introduce healthcare, medicine, technology, education, and the Gospel. To this day, thousands of otherwise forgotten people rely on MAF’s regular and dependable service to thrive in their traditional environment.

Seventy years in the wilderness

Encased within dominating mountain ranges, dense forests and rolling foothills dwell fewer inhabitants than in London. Between them, these rural tribes speak 839 different indigenous languages, making PNG the most linguistically diverse nation in the world.

But it’s not the diverse culture or the inhospitable terrain that’s the biggest challenge for PNG’s isolated people. Across the entire country there are just 2,172 miles of paved roads. That’s less than 1% of the 245,000 miles we have in the UK. Without MAF’s commitment and ability to land on the most challenging airstrips in the world, these people would remain in the wilderness.

MAF’s role has changed and adapted over the last 70 years from supporting individual missionaries to now sustaining entire communities. By flying crops to market, delivering building equipment, transporting teachers and performing medical emergency evacuations, villages have been transformed, modernised and finally become connected to the outside world.

POPULATION

7.4 million (UK = 66.7m).

50% of children under five are severely malnourished, leading to stunted growth.

LIFE EXPECTANCY

69.8 years (UK =81.4).

LANGUAGES

839 – more than anywhere else in the world.

AGRICULTURE

86% reside in rural areas and depend upon agriculture for their livelihoods.

BASIC HUMAN NEEDS

64% of the rural population does not have access to clean water.

HOW WE BRING HELP

MAF landed on 168 airstrips in 2021, many on mountain ridges.

Our aircraft transported 20,041 passengers, flew 522,270 miles, and carried out 113 medical evacuation flights.

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About MAF UK

Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) is the world’s largest humanitarian air operator. For over 75 years we have been flying light aircraft over jungles, mountains, swamps and deserts. We enable more than 1,400 aid, development and mission organisations to bring medical care, emergency relief and long-term development. Our pilots and personnel deliver relief workers, doctors, pastors, school books, food, medicines - everything that can only be safely and speedily delivered by air. Our faithful supporters give and pray to make this all possible.