In July, we flew a mission to the Hospital HVMM (Hopitaly Vaovao Mahafaly in Mandritsara = Good News Hospital). We arrived in Mandritsara from our base in the capital of Antananarivo after a flight of 100 minutes. The hospital is located in the middle of nowhere. Nevertheless, highly qualified doctors from all over the world volunteer here, sacrificing part of their careers to do so.

Helimission coordinated a 5-day mission with various organizations to a remote area of Madagascar. A total of 10 people, including a team of three doctors, and various material had to be flown into the rainforest.

Life for the Sakalava people of the Bemaraha Plateau in Western Madagascar isn’t just “simple” or “traditional” it’s often physically demanding and uncertain, shaped by a tough environment and limited or no access to services such as healthcare.

On our over six thousand kilometer return flight from Cameroon to Switzerland, we had to fly over the Hoggar Mountains in Algeria. Strong turbulence caused our hearts to sink, and the small helicopter danced like a plaything in the wind.

On the morning of March 3rd, the telephone rang. I received a request for a Medevac. The injured man would not survive being transported by land. So, I put my office work aside and immediately began making preparations.

When someone in the rainforest becomes seriously ill or is injured, a race against time begins. By simple boat, the journey to the nearest doctor often takes many days. That’s far too long when help is needed immediately! That’s why we at Helimission have a big plan: We’re building a new base in the city of Lábrea so we can provide aid using helicopters.

For most helicopter parts, the manufacturer specifies exactly how long the components can be used. A helicopter’s airframe normally undergoes a major inspection every 12 years.

We began discussing it together with our teacher Raphaela in class. We wondered what the situation was in the Malagasy schools. Do the students also share pencils?

During this outreach in southern Cameroon I was once again travelling in dense jungle with another team. I constantly kept my eye open for places with low palm trees that snake through the dark forest like pale veins. These light green clearings were potential places for an emergency landing in case of engine failure. You really never know!

The urgently needed medical resources were completely lacking. For this reason, we brought deworming pills, painkillers and ointments to treat these afflictions.

Mercy Ministries is based in Tamatave, on Madagascar’s east coast. Their strategy is to establish small bush clinics to provide basic medical care in every village they visit.

Impossible! I shook my head to let the people on the ground know that it wouldn't work, and carefully maneuvered the helicopter backwards away from the landing site. On the ridge where we wanted to land, the bushes and trees had grown so tall at the front and rear that there wasn't enough space for either the main rotor or the tail rotor of the helicopter.