Local education staff serving in Western Province, Papua New Guinea, are experiencing the new service provided by MAF’s amphibious aircraft, certain it will make a difference for schools and communities.
Story by Aquila Matit
“Growing up, it was a struggle for us to get on a plane or to get transportation services. People used to struggle to travel on the lake to the airstrip at Boboa Station in the rain, wind and sun,” said Esthel Babare.
Esthel is the head teacher of Usukof Primary School and a resident of the lake community of Usukof. She was the first passenger from Usukof to board the floatplane.
“When I want to get stationery, it takes me days and weeks to get these materials, or just to get to Kiunga for school matters,” she said.
“Sometimes we get to Boboa station, and they tell us the plane is not coming, then we have to turn back, maybe for 3 or 4 times, and then we finally get on, but now it is very easy for us because we have the land plane and the water plane, so we decide which one to get on. We prefer the water plane because it comes right to our doorstep.
“School materials will now be flown directly to the village and school matters will be dealt with in Boboa or Kiunga as quickly as possible.”
School materials will now be flown directly to the village and school matters will be dealt with in Boboa or Kiunga as quickly as possible
To travel to Boboa from Usukof, the journey takes four to five hours in a boat. To Kiunga, the nearest town and district centre, it takes five days. In the floatplane, it takes less than half an hour. This gives hope to Esthel and other local teachers.
Duaman Kozap, a Lake Murray local, is a teacher at Mougulu Secondary School in the Middle Fly district. He travelled on the floatplane from Boboa to Kiunga, then via MAF connecting flight to his posting at Mougulu.
“For those of us who work far away from Lake Murray, we usually depend on the MAF land plane to get back home and now we have the floatplane, too. This floatplane not only goes to Boboa, but also to other remote villages, picking up and dropping off passengers like me. It's really helping,” said Duaman.
“It has also helped mothers during pregnancy and difficulty in childbirth. It gives them very quick medevac flights. I see that MAF is doing such a great job in Lake Murray.”
Esthel knows how challenging it is to travel by canoe for pregnant women who have difficulty giving birth, and she expressed her joy for the service.
“Sometimes women who give birth or have complications die in the boat on the way to reach Boboa station.
“I can’t express my gratitude to MAF, it’s a brilliant idea to provide this service for us and I thank you for this golden opportunity,” said Esthel.
The floatplane project is a joint initiative of SDP and MAF for Western Province.