welcome-to-bangladesh - Mission Aviation Fellowship

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Welcome to Bangladesh

Touching a water world

MAF Floatplane with MAF staff in front

You’ve landed in one of the poorest and most densely populated nations on the planet

Effectively only the size of England, Bangladesh is home to three times the number of people. An influx from Myanmar’s neighbouring Rakhine state added 250,000 new arrivals. More migrants arrive every day, compounding the already desperate needs.

Those living here experience some of the most extreme water challenges on earth. From the air, you’ll notice just how much water there is. One third of the country is submerged under 4,971 miles of dirty waterways.

Many of Bangladesh’s vast population are regularly evicted from their homes by cyclones, flooding and tropical storms, exposing them to potentially fatal, waterborne diseases. Some build their houses on stilts to try and avoid the deadly water.

For more than 20 years, MAF has flown relief, development and medical workers into areas that cannot be reached by land. The unique amphibious plane you’ll travel in is the only humanitarian aircraft of its kind operating in Bangladesh. It’s able to land on water and reach some of the country’s poorest and most isolated communities.

During your visit, you’ll witness life-changing partnerships with NGOs, such as Friendship’s floating hospital, which enable thousands of marginalised people to receive medical care that transforms their quality of life and gives them dignity and hope.

MAF is critical in responding to natural disasters. We provided one of the first civilian aircraft to respond to the needs of the Bangladeshi people following cyclones Sidr, Aila and Mahasen – which killed more than 10,000 people.

Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries we serve, and the next disaster could strike at any time.

Map of Bangladesh

Population

Life Expectancy

Languages

Basic Human Needs

Nutrition

Child Development

Passengers

Locations

Partnerships

1 – Plant

new crops at the Farmer Nutrition School in Char Mudafot that could save a family from malnutrition.

2 – Land

on the water and watch the children line the riverbanks and dive in to greet our beautiful amphibious aircraft – a truly amazing experience!

3 – Visit

a child recovering from a life-changing club foot operation on the Friendship floating hospital on the Jamuna River.

4 – Build

a fishing boat in Padma village to help fishermen recover from a recent storm which swept away their livelihoods.

Our Partners

MAF partners 58 organisations in Bangladesh to make sure the right people reach the right place at the right time. Here are some of the people you could meet on board our Cessna 208 floatplane:

Picture of Dave Mather with Caption "Ensuring people's safety - Dave Mather, British Red Cross"

‘MAF is giving a good service in the country, which is especially important in times of disaster response.’

Picture of Runa Khan with caption "Transforming through medicine - Runa Khan, Friendship Hospital"

‘If we can save one hour, it is one person’s life saved. So, if MAF is not there, one whole day is wasted in travel – one whole day going, one whole day coming and how many operations, maybe one third of the operations we would not have been able to do if we did not have the services of MAF.’

Picture of Gerson Brandao with the caption"Answering -Gerson Brandao, United Nations"

‘MAF provides the fastest and most flexible way to travel to hard-to-reach areas. They are a great support to the team.’

Illustration of the Amphibious Cessna Caravan

PLANE OVERVIEW:

Operating from both land and water, this versatile aircraft is often called the ‘ultimate amphibian’. With more than 8,000 miles of useable waterways and hundreds of landing sites, our flights reach some of the most remote and inaccessible areas of the country.

SPECIFICATION:

Single turbo-prop engine
Carries up to 9 passengers / 700kg supplies
Cruising speed 160mph
Large cargo door for easy loading
Spacious air-conditioned cabin

Picture of the MAF floatplane with MAF team in front with the caption "As you depart,please pray"

– our amphibious Cessna aircraft is one of a kind in Bangladesh. Please pray for the safety of our pilots and staff who work to maintain this unique and versatile aircraft.

Continue to your next destination

Day 1

Welcome to Arnhem Land

Day 2

Welcome to Timor–Leste

Day 3

Welcome to Kalimantan

Come fly with me

Meet Max Gove

Days 4 - 7

Welcome to Nepal

Returning home

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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.