Haiti

MAF has served the missionary community and the people of Haiti since 1986. Presently, five MAF missionary families, nine national staff members, and four aircraft serve 16 airstrips from a base of operations in Port-au-Prince.

To enable the work and maximize the effectiveness of Christian workers and agencies, MAF provides missionaries, medical staff, and community development workers the means of ministering to the people of Haiti through light air transportation services, communications networks, and distance education.

Evangelism and Church Nurture
In northwestern Haiti, MAF provides transportation to church leaders attending intensive three-week training seminars. In the central plateau, MAF transports missionaries and their supplies to villages for evangelism. Throughout Haiti, MAF provides secure email connections Haitian church workers and more than 20 mission organizations.

MAF-Learning Technologies (MAF-LT) has formed a partnership with CrossWorld to provide distance education and leadership training to Haitian church pastors and lay leaders. MAF-LT staff are in the process of converting 24 seminary-level courses into the versatile XML computer language and the DEViewer, developed by MAF for use in Haiti and the French-speaking world. To date, 10 courses in French and eight in Creole have been completed, providing learning opportunities for new pastors and church leaders.

Medical Assistance
MAF provides the only air ambulance service and transportation for dental and medical teams traveling to the central plateau, serving more than 250,000 people. As needed—usually several times a week—MAF flies doctors and patients to and from the island of La Gonave, where one hospital serves more than 100,000 people. These flights also support World Vision and other agencies. Without MAF, these travelers would be exposed to the dangers and delays of frequently rough seas.

In the past 12 months, the MAF program in Haiti ...

• Saved Christian and humanitarian workers 4,384 days of travel time—or 18 work years redeemed for productive Kingdom work!
• Executed 3,410 flights, transported 9,215 passengers, and delivered 935,748 pounds of cargo, in order to provide access to the Gospel and to basic services such as health clinics, medical emergency evacuations, and education—services otherwise unavailable in remote locations.
• In response to a hurricane and three tropical storms that caused disastrous flooding, flew relief flights including airdrops of food, water, and medicine.
• Placed into service a Cessna 206 received from another MAF program.
• Completed the conversion of two additional distance education courses in French for use in the DEViewer. To date, 10 French courses and eight Creole courses have been converted. Completed phase one of course usability testing and began phase two testing.
• Provided transportation for ministry teams from Hosean International Ministries (HIM), allowing them to conduct vacation Bible schools, evangelistic outreaches, and conferences.
• Provided ongoing flight services for Christian Aid Ministries (CAM), enabling agricultural development, healthcare, and evangelistic outreaches as well as feeding programs for 1,600 households monthly.
• Supported the work of Institution Univers (IU) in the town of Ouanaminthe. Transported IU medical and dental teams, provided emergency medical flight services, and transported students from IU schools to Port-au-Prince to access international flights.
• Held monthly meetings with civil aviation authorities to foster a productive working relationship.
• Received approval for a new airstrip at Hinche.
• Hired and trained a new LT programmer to replace a departing staff member. The new programmer works on-site at STEP seminary, converting courses to DEViewer format.
• Completed 22 years of accident-free flying.

1. Continue training qualified Haitian mechanics and administrative personnel to work alongside MAF staff in aviation, communications, and distance education.
2. Assist with the construction of a new airstrip in Hinche.
3. Convert two additional distance education courses in French and four in Creole for use in the DEViewer, with the long-term goal of 24 courses in each language. Complete and evaluate phase two usability testing of two French and two Creole courses.
4. Explore the possibility of obtaining a Cessna 208 aircraft to meet increasing flight demands. Commence expansion of the ramp in front of the hangar in anticipation of the plane’s arrival in 2009 or 2010.
5. Address the ongoing risks of life in Haiti by providing additional cultural and security training to MAF staff.
6. Prepare for, and integrate, one new pilot and one new maintenance specialist into the program, along with their families.
7. Implement plans to establish distance learning centers at STEP, Port-de-Paix, and Jacmel, with the goal of opening one learning center every 15 months.

This year, it will require $1,531,696 to operate ongoing programs, launch new initiatives, and expand services in Haiti. Total funding from support raised by MAF missionary staff and from field revenue amounts to $1,277,335—or 83 percent of total operating costs.

We seek the remaining 17 percent—or $254,361—from caring partners: individuals, churches, and foundations.