Update from the field...

Submitted By Jonathan Porter

The past few weeks have shot by quicker than superman can fly, and certainly beating any speeding bullets!

WE have had two visits so far this year; Erin Nolan from NYPD and Rex and Melissa Pemberton from California.

Erin was instrumental in the trip around Ghana and the hammering on 'reopening and improving' airstrips.  

Rex and Melissa have given us a new media to share our past, present and the vision of MoM and just how far it goes. You can see the trailer of the RPMP Productions documentary called:

The Calling

'The Calling' _Documentary Trailer from Rex Pemberton on Vimeo.

- it should be released at Oshkosh in July. We hope to make copies of the full thing available for about $25 a piece.... bulk order are welcome, order for 10 copies or more will be at $20 per copy. All of the profits from this will go towards our development of projects around Ghana and hopefully into neighbouring countries in the near future.

The 4 seat air ambulance is finally begging to look the part. As we get closer to affording the instruments it has been time to put the engine on, and soon the wings and tail bits will be added. WE have ahd to wait since the 'complete plane' takes up a lot of space.  So, the time is near. We are still cash strapped, but that has not stopped us getting this far and will not stop us moving forward, it just slows us down.

We expect to open up two new villages in the near future. We have established a 'engagement protocol', one that makes our relationships to the communities very clear.

1. 'First Contact': We spot a community from the air, or by 'recommendation' and litterarly turn up to see what it is like - unannounced. That way we see the real 'raw' village/community. If it 'feels good' we invite them to visit the airfield at Kpong - all must be at their effort.

2. They visit Kpong. They get the 'show around'. Includes the workshops and the MoM Garden. Although not finished yet, the MoM Garden has a mud hut, a wind turbine and a medicinal garden.  It will soon have its own water filter, latrine systems (pit and septic) and hopefully by year end 'alternative construction' methods section. This provides some of the understanding appreciation.  We have our own mud huts and know what village life is really like!

3. If they are happy we lay out the 'process'.  

a) We will not GIVE you any things

b) You will not ASK for money or items.

c) We will encourage and inspire You to help yourself and, if you do so

d) we will provide health education and assistance in education visits to the schools/children (of course these are health tainted - it is easier to get a group to meet a visitor and then to lace the cake with health education!)

e) You will need to write us a letter 'inviting us' to visit your community on a regular basis.

4) we start... slowly, surely, encouraging the people to make their own 'luck' to create their own 'sustainable future', then, as they make the efforts we can stimulate and encourage more growth and provide materials when they are needed, people to help make it happen and then, over the coming years they will join the ranks of Mommers taking the solutions they learned to others..

On the good news side too, the AvTech girls got awards in a writing contest, we are all so pleased that Ciara, Lydia, Juliet and Emmanuella gained prizes... Ciara has a full extra flying lesson and the others a 'part-lesson' being funded by Karlene Petit - THANK YOU Karlene! They will also get some T shirts. Here is a simple example of how OUR giving of opportunities to learn, coupled with their stimulated interest to participate in an international competition has resulted in support for their own development. These girls will be going into villages next year, as part of their curriculum, in co-operation with MoM, on health and education matters. In a few years they will be flying the missions themselves... We are all proud of their progress!

Healthwise, we are all a bit run down. I have eaten far too many antibiotics and am still not up the up... but it will come... Matthew is also overloaded, he soldiers on and makes happen what he can as and where he can, but we are limited. Added to that our very tight finances reducing mission activities and you have reasons for the reduced emissions....

We look to the next few months to bring about some exciting changes... we are looking at boat based activities, perhaps sending a boat on a two or three week mission and cycling the personnel and providing supplies by air - for we have the potential... and we will go on to make a change in people lives, one trip, one event and always, one flight at a time...

Thank you all for your support.