Faith and hope

Where people live cut off, hope is often missing. We create connections for local churches and communities – and together we strengthen people in their faith. So that no one feels alone any more.
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Facts and figures from the WHO

This is why we fly there:

1 / 6

people

One in six people worldwide is affected by loneliness. In cut-off areas, the figure is higher still.

24.3%

loneliness in Africa

The rate of loneliness in Africa (24.3%) is more than twice as high as in Europe (10.1%).

100

deaths per hour

are linked to loneliness worldwide. Feeling connected strengthens health.

58.6%

isolated young people

According to a WHO report, almost sixty per cent of young people in Zambia are socially isolated.

What we do

We bring hope where it had been lost

Whether the cause is political conflict, economic hopelessness or personal exclusion, we fly there to dissolve feelings of loneliness. Together with local churches and communities we make social and spiritual care, and pastoral support, possible in the midst of poverty and insecurity. And with that we bring new hope.

Geographical isolation

Where no roads lead, villages can only be reached on foot or by air. People often feel forgotten by the world, neglected by their governments and left to fend for themselves.

Cultural and religious stigma

Illness can be seen as divine punishment, leading to individuals or families being excluded. Widows and victims of rape are also sometimes shut out of the community.

Conflict zones, war and violence

Tribal feuds lasting generations can lead to isolation. Wars, displacement and the systematic exclusion of minorities also leave individuals and groups isolated.

Health-related exclusion

Stigmatised illnesses such as HIV/AIDS or tuberculosis can lead to exclusion. People are also excluded because of infertility, albinism or mental illness.

No economic prospects

Many children in the Global South grow up without education. When young people see no future as a result, resignation sets in. Life becomes a struggle to survive, without prospects.

Isolation from information and relationships

Migration separates families, because there is no money left for travel. Radio and telephone are often missing too, so people cannot stay informed or connect with others across long distances. That is isolating.

What motivates us

Love of neighbour that moves us to act

Motivated by our Christian faith, we work for the people the world seems to have forgotten: for them we overcome every obstacle and connect them to the world. We follow a faith-based programme approach that takes the spiritual needs of individuals and communities seriously. And we act according to humanitarian standards and a Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA).

Our values
News

Working for hope in hopeless times

All news
Feature
25
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03
.
2026

60 years of help, hope and healing in Chad

Since 1966 MAF has been flying people to places in Chad that are almost impossible to reach. What began with medical care became far more: famine relief, protecting livelihoods, new opportunities through education. MAF still brings hope there today.

Read the article
Feature
31
.
10
.
2025

Forty years with a wound no one was meant to see

For more than forty years Ayor has carried an invisible wound – caused in childbirth, hidden out of shame. For a long time help seemed out of reach. A flight with MAF now gives her the chance of life-changing surgery.

Read the article
Feature
20
.
03
.
2024

Hope lands in Dimanbil

For four decades the people of Dimanbil fought against isolation. Today their own airstrip brings MAF flights to the village – and with them access to education, medical care and new opportunities.

Read the article

No one should be left alone: help and hope must reach everywhere.

Our vision
Get involved

What you can do

If you would like to work with us for a better quality of life for cut-off communities, there are several ways to do it:

Donate

Give the amount you can and want to, and enable us to fly to cut-off places and communities to save lives.

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Sponsorship

Sponsorship makes the biggest difference. Together we strengthen the resilience of remote communities – today and for the future.

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Wills

In your will you can leave a legacy or an inheritance to organisations such as MAF. Give hope beyond your lifetime.

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Partnership

We work with companies, churches, foundations and authorities in order to achieve more. Let us make help from the air possible together.

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Fundraising

Organise your own fundraiser: a cake sale, a sponsored run or something else entirely – every franc helps people in need.

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Join us

Flying, repairing, leading or supporting: there are many ways to work with MAF. Full-time or voluntary, in Switzerland or anywhere in the world.

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Crossing borders and giving hope, together.

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Where we work

Our other focus areas

Where roads end, hope often ends too. Remoteness then means isolation rather than freedom. To counter that isolation, we work on:

Health and hygiene

Our medevac flights make medical care possible where medicines and staff are lacking. We provide clean drinking water and sanitation to fight diseases such as cholera.

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Education and skills development

Cut off from the world, whole generations lack access to education. Because teachers and teaching materials cannot get through on impassable roads, we fly them in. And open up new opportunities on the ground.

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Food and income

Without access to the outside world, families and communities go without essential goods, services and ways of earning a living. We create access to markets and support the food supply.

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Faith and hope

Where people live cut off, hope is often missing. We create connections for local churches and communities – and together we strengthen people in their faith. So that no one feels alone any more.

Learn more