環(huán)球英語—945:Flying Help

Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Nick Page.
Voice 2
And I'm Mike Procter. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
When the country of Haiti suffered a terrible earthquake in January 2010, the world hurried to help. Governments from many countries sent all sorts of aid because the people of Haiti were in such great need. Ships and airplanes arrived with food, water, clothes and tents.
But it was not just governments that raced to help. The tragedy touched the hearts of people all around the world. All kinds of organisations and individual people wanted to be involved. Some of them sent equipment to lift the broken buildings and to rescue the people who were buried under them. Others sent medicines. Doctors and nurses came to care for the hundreds of thousands of people who were injured.
Voice 2
An organisation called Mission Aviation Fellowship - or MAF - was already working in Haiti before the earthquake. This organisation has a lot of experience in flying in difficult situations. In Haiti MAF had three small airplanes to assist other aid organisations to do their work more easily. In the earthquake, many of the roads in Haiti were destroyed. Large numbers of people were cut off from the towns. They could not buy food. Medical help could not get to them.
The small airplanes from MAF were able to fly to these areas. They took food, water, clothes, doctors and nurses. Sometimes they re-united families who had been separated because of the broken roads.
Voice 1
MAF has been flying in these kinds of situations for over sixty years. The organisation began just after the Second World War. Some pilots and engineers decided to use their wartime flying experience to bring life instead of death. By 1950 they had one airplane, working in Sudan. Now, there are more than 120 airplanes working in more than 35 countries. An MAF airplane takes off or lands somewhere in the world every few minutes.
Voice 2
MAF airplanes go quickly to countries or areas where there is a sudden emergency - like they did in Haiti. They bring food when there is a famine. They rescue people from floods - like they did after the tsunami in South East Asia in 2004. But they also work in some countries all the time. Every day, they bring help and hope to people who live in difficult situations.
Voice 1
In Southern Sudan Maluak Tat and his friend were caring for their cows. It was early in the morning. Suddenly they were attacked by men who wanted to steal the cows. Bullets flew in all directions. Maluak's friend was killed and Maluak was hit four times. One bullet made a large hole in his neck. He could only breath through this hole and he was in great pain.
An aid worker was drove Maluak to the nearest hospital a hundred kilometres away. The road was very rough and the trip took three hours. But the hospital was unable to help Maluak. However, the aid worker was a Christian, so he knew about MAF. He called MAF on the radio and asked for help. MAF flew Maluak to another hospital where the doctors operated for two hours, and saved his life.
Voice 2
MAF provides many different services to communities around the world. This makes it possible for other agencies to do their work better. Aid and development agencies use MAF to get people and equipment to places that are hard to reach in any other way. In some areas there are no roads at all. In other places, people cannot use the roads for several months each year because of rain. Deserts or mountains could also make travel very difficult. MAF saves everyone a lot of time and trouble.
MAF flies supplies of medicine and medical equipment to hospitals in country areas. In 2009, they flew 524 kilograms of blood supplies to three hospitals in country areas in Uganda. Getting there by road could take up to two days. The only way for the blood to arrive in good condition was by air.
Voice 1
In some cases, the airplane flies doctors to treat sick people in their own villages. The news that a doctor is coming travels very fast. Sometimes people walk for days to get to a village when they know a doctor is coming.
In Bangladesh a third of the country is under water during the monsoon season. MAF flies doctors to two floating hospitals there.
But airplanes cost a lot of money to run. The people MAF help are often very poor. How can they pay for a ride in an airplane? The answer is that most of MAF's funds come from gifts. MAF has many supporters around the world. Most are Christians. They support MAF as a way of helping people far away. Agencies that use MAF also pay a small amount towards the real cost.
Voice 2
Keeping airplanes flying takes more than just paying for the fuel. Many engineers work hard to keep them in good repair. Other people prepare the right places for the airplanes to land. MAF airplanes often have to land far from a real airport. They find a piece of land near where they want to visit. If there are trees in the way, local people help by cutting them down. Then they make the land firm and flat so that the airplane can land safely.
Voice 1
MAF pilots do not have easy jobs. They face many difficulties and sometimes, danger. They may have to fly in bad weather conditions. Or they may find the landing area is not safe because no-one has cared for it. They do not take unnecessary risks. But they always try hard to reach the people who need them.
Voice 2
MAF workers are driven in part by their Christian beliefs. They feel that they are following Jesus Christ's example by helping people. They believe it is important to care for the physical and the spiritual needs of people. They carry teachers and books to far away schools or materials for new building projects. They fly equipment to dig new wells or bring tools and plants for farmers to grow more food. They transport church workers who take care of the spiritual needs of the people. And they even carry Bibles to Christians in far away places.
Voice 1
In more than 2500 places around the world, people know they can trust the airplane to come with the things they need to survive. Glenda Giles is a teacher in Papua New Guinea. She said,
Voice 3
'We are very dependent on the Mission Aviation Fellowship. MAF is our only link with the outside world. There is no other way'.
Voice 2
The writer of today's programme was Joy Smith. The producer was Bruce Gulland. The voices you heard were from the United Kingdom. This programme and many more are on our website - www.radio.english.net. This programme is called 'Flying Help'
Thank you for listening to Spotlight today. Goodbye.