German Help Three helps in the Turkana region

07.11.2011

While our partner relief organisations are still preparing the mission of the Heli Aviation helicopter, German Help Three, in the north east of Kenya, a further organisation in the north of the country has now requested help. German Help Three is immediately required in the Turkana region. The helicopter must urgently distribute food and help to ensure medical supplies to the population surrounding Lokichoggio and stretching to the southern Sudanese border. "Now that the rainfall is setting in, there is no more time to lose.", says the Country Director of a local relief organisation.

Following a short preparation phase, the German Help Three helicopter and its three-man crew immediately take off from Nairobi for Lokichoggio, 685 kilometres away. A relief organisation there urgently requires a helicopter for humanitarian relief missions in the Turkana region – a flood zone.

While the surroundings of the Kenyan capital Nairobi, at a height of 2,000 m, have green landscapes to offer, shortly after take-off another picture of the environment emerges. Dried earth, upon which only inedible types of acacia grow affording shadow to the desert landscape, alternates with flooded areas.

Over the entire flight route, the Heli Aviation crew is astounded by the absence of towns and roads. They discover only very isolated unpaved roads. And, in the middle of the monumental natural landscape, the settlements of the mainly nomadic tribes living in the north seem really forlorn and hostile to life.

During the flight, strong rainfall illustrates the power nature has over the people of this country. One problem reported by local relief organisations in October quickly becomes clear – even brief rain showers force relief convoys travelling in the Turkana region to turn back.

After landing in Lokichoggio just before sunset, the German Help Three crew is met by staff of the relief organisation and directly following the cordial welcome, the first mission meeting is scheduled for early the next morning. It immediately becomes clear to the crew how desperately the relief organisation has been waiting for the Heli Aviation helicopter – time is of the essence.

Directly after the early morning meeting, the day’s task begins. The plan is for German Help Three to fly high-calorie food for children and older adults to the area covered by the Kaikor health centre to the north east of Lokichoggio. A relief organisation co-ordinator is on board the first flight and starts preparations for distributing the food immediately after landing in Kaikor.

Because of the rainfall, transport of relief supplies by land is currently impossible. The 120 km route is impassable for any type of land vehicle, so the affected region is completely cut off by land from the outside world for an indefinite period. Fast and reliable supply of the population living there can only be guaranteed by helicopter. The Heli Aviation helicopter, German Help Three, transports a total of two and a half tonnes of dried food to Kaikor via external load - quickly, efficiently, safely and the mission takes only one day.

Flood zone – Turkana region
Even in European countries, floods can be a major blow for the people affected. But in northern Kenya, where the population has already suffered hunger and thirst for months, where there is hardly any medical care or medical equipment, where the roads can be badly affected by even the slightest amounts of rain and where, because of the lack of a mobile phone network, it is barely possible for the suffering population to ask for help – flooding can mean death. The mission of the Heli Aviation helicopter, German Help Three, gives the inhabitants of the remote areas hope of fast help – help from the air.

Have a look at our photo gallery for the Kenya relief project here or visit German Help Three on Facebook.

<- Back to: 2012 Pressemitteilungen