Transforming 8 hours to 20 minutes: Hope for the island communities of Lake Victoria

Story & Photos by Annet Nabbanja

A team of MAF experts have explored potential floatplane docking sites in

preparation to bring help, hope and healing to a group of long isolated people.

MAF in Uganda is excited to be much closer to reaching communities on the islands

of Lake Victoria. The largest lake in Africa and the second-largest freshwater lake in

the world, Lake Victoria spans three countries: Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.

Floatplane flights to the island areas will mean better health care and improved

education for some of the world’s most isolated people.

After making survey flights last year, the team surveyed a number of islands seeking to identify suitable docking locations. Among the sites visited were the fishing village Lwanabatya and Buyovu. Samuel Wasswa, who has lived on the islands for over 15 years and oversees the maintenance of structures built at Buyovu Island, is excited about how much help the communities will receive as a result. "The plane will carry medical personnel, will open the islands to new people and facilitate movement of teachers," Wasswa said. Sam Baguma, MAF in Uganda’s Deputy Country Director noted that the project is in its final stages. "There are over 200 islands, and my dream is that every island will be reached.

Wasswa narrates that the daily life of islanders is one of struggle and lack,

characterised by poor transport, scarcity of medical services and poor education.

"There’s poor medical service. People move to the island of Bufumira for medical care which takes about an hour by the local boats.’’

"I remember one time we took a child who was very sick, and it took us about an

hour to reach hospital. The child was almost dying. Even some pregnant women die

along the way.’’ "Most islands have no schools. Where there’s a school, there are often no teachers – or you’ll have one teacher teaching many classes," Wasswa said.

"At around 10 years of age, many of them are just joining the kindergarten. Some of

them when they come for holidays don’t want to go back. After a few years the boys

become fishermen, and the girls get pregnant."

Canoes are the most common means of transport on these islands, but they often

get overwhelmed by the waves.

‘‘There are so many accidents that happen on the lake. The people who provide essential services have realised the risks involved in reaching these islands, and that’s why we need the plane that will eliminate the risks that people encounter while traveling by boat,’’ said Baguma. It is estimated that about five thousand people die on Lake Victoria every year. The distance by boat to Entebbe, the nearest mainland, is about 8 hours, while by plane it takes about 20 minutes.

MAF’s floatplane expert Chad Tilley described the locations identified as "potential

areas where the floatplane will be able to operate from safely and efficiently."

The success of the floatplane project depends on a number of factors, and not all

areas of water are safe for operations. "We always need to factor in the winds, and we want to pick the areas where the water is routinely calm," Tilley said.

He is humbled by the chain of experts, each bringing their skills and experience to the table to ensure the project's success. "It’s great because you’re bringing together people with lots of different experiences to help accomplish one goal," he said.

By providing essential services and connecting the islands to the mainland, the MAF

floatplane will change the future of these isolated communities.