I thought I would die - hope for gunshot victim

When Bendalana saw the MAF plane overhead, a glimmer of hope ignited. This time, he knew that help had come to him. 

The 53-year-old father of seven was living a nightmare after experiencing the consequences of insecurity in their isolated village of Ankavandra, is in the west of Madagascar. The combination of insecurity, bad road conditions, heat and a four-day journey make reaching the village extremely challenging.

“It was a typical late evening when I was outside of my house, checking on my two cows (zebu). Suddenly, thieves came. In the chaos, I tried to flee,” said Bendalana. 

A shotgun blast caught him in the back. He believed it was a close-range shot, because he collapsed, and the world went dark as his attackers stole his cows and left him to die.

He was rushed to the local bush health facility where they managed to stabilise him, but his injuries needed more care. With about twelve shotgun pellets lodged in his body, Bendalana decided that he would have to go to the nearest hospital where doctors would be able to help him. The hospital in Tsiroanomandidy is the closest to where he lives, so he made the arduous two-day journey by truck in the heat. The bumpy roads made each jolt agonising, and the trip drained his family’s limited resources.

Bendalana vividly remembered the pain, the heat, and the uncertainty of whether he would survive the journey. Yet, he endured it, desperate to reach a proper medical centre. 

The X-ray he received in Tsiroanomandidy showed the small pellets still embedded deep within his body, a haunting reminder of that violent night.

 After his trip to Tsiroanomandidy, Bendalana already felt better but he always felt sick when he tried to eat. 

“I think it is because of the multiple bullets that made its way from my back to my belly,” Bendalana said. 

Although his condition is stable from an external standpoint, he could not work and was worried about the rest of the bullets in his body.

Life has become even harder since losing two of his cows, which were essential to his family’s livelihood. But despite the challenges, Bendalana felt a renewed sense of hope when a MAF plane came with a medical team from Hoveraid to his remote community.

“I explained to him that the some of the bullets are very hard to spot since they are quite small, I recommended leaving these small fragments in place initially as they aren't causing any immediate harm, as removing them surgically might cause more damage than leaving them for the body to deal with naturally,” said Tata Jean Floris, one of the HoverAid surgeons. 

He reassured Bendalana he is going to be fine and said that the fragments are close to the skin and in soft tissue, so the body will eventually reject them. The team will come back with a MAF flight in few months and then they can easily remove the rest of the bullet fragments. 

Upon hearing this, Bendalana felt less anxious about his condition and said, “I am looking forward to the next mission in our village.

For Bendalana and the people of Ankavandra, the sight of an MAF plane is more than the hum of an engine in the sky. It’s a promise that no matter how isolated they are, they are not forgotten.

The HoverAid medical team, flown in by MAF, brought more than just medical equipment—they brought reassurance to a region plagued by insecurity due to cattle theft, where treating gunshot and machete wounds is all too common.

Visiting doctors said they heard gunshots every night.

Bendalana spoke with deep gratitude for the doctors who came to Ankavandra. Though they couldn’t remove all the pellets, the treatment and the instruction and reassurance that the doctor gave him as his life is not in danger brought him a sense of relief. 

Ankavandra is an extremely remote village, requiring a gruelling 3 to 4-day journey by road to reach from Antananarivo. Temperatures often rise to 40 degrees Celsius, with little respite from the sun. 

Even upon arrival, reaching the village involves over an hour of walking through harsh terrain.