MAF pilot and health workers carry supplies down steep track despite risk of lions prowling at nightfall
Benedicto Thadeus, a doctor from the Health Centre in Malambo, was packing up medical supplies with the team of nurses: Grace A. Lendupai, Jacob Kikur and Thomas Mbusia, after another successful remote clinic on the top of Mount Olemilei to bring vaccinations and medical check-ups to pregnant women, as well as mothers with their children.
The teams’ work was done for the day when MAF pilot Peter Griffin saw a problem with the aircraft that would leave them stranded in the isolated Tanzanian community.
“During the taxiing out for last flight of the day to transport the team of medical staff down the mountain after the clinic was over, I notice the left main tyre felt off. Upon reaching my head out of the pilot side window to take a closer look, I could see the tyre was as flat as it possibly could be,” Peter said.
After trying to reinflate the flat tyre, Peter had to inform his passengers that they were stuck on the mountain.
With less than two hours until sunset, it was evident there could be no rescue mission that day. Grace, Peter and Benedictus discussed the stock of precious vaccines they had brought in the aircraft in an insulated case. The vials would remain usable for up to 24 hours without refrigeration but with
no facilities in the village they would spoil before the aircraft could be repaired.
This would leave the following day’s clinic in Malambo without these vaccines so they concluded that someone would need to walk down with the supplies.
The steep vertical descent required extra care and good stamina. Grace told them: “You can’t walk down, it’s impossible!”
Peter knew any rescue mission would have to come via Malambo, and that there were not enough hours of the day left to hope for that. He locked up the plane in a secure location and was determined to find his way down. A young man from Olemilei village called Joshua, volunteered to guide him down. Benedictus, commonly known as Ben, decided to also accompany him. They set off with just some drinking water and the bulky vaccination case.
The unfamiliar trekkers noticed the fast pace of the feet of their local guide Joshua on the 7km journey down. He was not only used to difficult terrain, but he was also aware of the position of the sun indicating the hours left before sunset. Even the locals would not dream of journeying on down the mountain in the darkness.
Joshua kept encouraging his companions: “It’s just around the corner from here” he would say with a cheerful grin.
MAF Tanzania’s longstanding partner evangelist Elisha Moita was able to arrange transport for the trekkers when they got down the mountain, so they could deliver the vaccines to the local clinic in time.
“I was contacted by MAF Operations Manager Emmanuel Mollel and informed of the unfortunate events. We agreed I would arrange for some motorbike transport as close to the mountains as possible, so they would be able to reach Malambo before dark. It is not unusual for lions to be spotted in the Malambo region,” he said.
They had trekked 700m vertically downwards during the 7km journey, but made it just before nightfall, in time for the vaccines to be safely stored in the clinic’s fridge.