Uplifting Rural Limpopo
Story by Thabiso Thando Khoza
South African rural communities struggle with access to institutions that exist to address their basic needs. People living in these conditions travel long distances to clinics and schools. Often, they must make their way through difficult and dangerous terrain to access these facilities.
Flying for Life reaches and uplifts rural communities in South Africa using air transport. We bring these communities services to address their needs while partnering with other non-profit organisations, government bodies, and specialists.
Recently, Flying for Life ventured on a 4-day-flight to rural Limpopo. We collaborated with volunteers from different parts of the country. Together with the province’s Department of Health and our partners, we worked on optometry, cancer screening, dentistry, disability care, and general practitioner consultations. We also helped with clinic staff training and introduction to aviation and space technology.
Our team was divided into two; team one flew from Grand Central Airport in a fixed-wing (Kodiak) and team two flew from White River in a helicopter. Both teams landed on Patrick Matibe airstrip in the Vhembe District.
Mercy Air, our partner organisation, provided their aircrafts and pilots.
Cecilia Roberts, a general practitioner (GP) from the Western Cape, saw 81 patients.
Elmien Verster, an optometrist from Port Elizabeth, saw 120 patients and distributed reading glasses.
The GFPA Foundation educated 210 students about careers in aviation and space technology. They also selected 3 students to attend one of their educational camps.
Cathy Middleton, a midwife from Mercy Air and Berna Groenewald, a midwife from Gauteng administered 71 pap smears and consulted with 18 waiting patients to assist the GP.
Tin Soldiers’ team from Gauteng and the Western Cape, and Odette Schwegler, trained 44 clinic staff on FOP (Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressive), a very rare genetic connective tissue disorder. 20 children were seen and referred.
The testimonies we hear from people in the communities we serve motivate us to keep doing what we do. Joyce Phungo, a 44-year-old woman from one of the communities we visited said,
“It’s not my first time getting helped by Flying for Life health practitioners. And I’ve heard of many people in the community who have received help from Flying for Life. Today, I came to seek help together with my mother and brother.”
We’re happy our work not only brings our team together but brings families and communities together too. We are making an impact that lasts a lifetime.
Our work was spread across 8 clinics in collaboration with the nurses from these clinics. Flying for Life believes that collectively, we can make a greater impact. This way, we can bring hope, help, and healing to more disadvantaged communities across South Africa.