Aid by air in Central African Republic

The Central African Republic (CAR) is the lowest ranking country in the Human Development Index. Nowhere else in the world are the challenges to life and dignity so prevalent.

67% of the mainly rural population lives on less than one dollar a day and just 30% have access to clean water. An armed insurgency that began in 2012 has resulted in the severe deterioration of the country’s infrastructure.

Delivering humanitarian assistance such as food and medicines is a major logistical challenge, particularly as most people live in remote areas. Roads are poorly maintained, communication networks are unreliable and many areas are too dangerous to travel through. This means that large areas of the country are only accessible by air.

HI has taken on a coordination role in the county in order to improve logistics for all humanitarian associations trying to reach those in need. One of the first priorities is to restore airfields and runways in remote areas so that humanitarian flights can land safely. HI works with local communities to manage repairs and maintenance, such as filling pot-holes and clearing vegetation.

HI then coordinates deliveries by air, pooling together the goods to be sent in order to improve efficiency. HI manages the schedules, security checks and loading of humanitarian cargo planes from Bangui M’Poko airport and coordinates safe arrival.

Thanks to HI’s extensive logistics experience, in 2017 we were able to transport 8,590 metric tonnes of humanitarian goods to some of the most isolated corners of CAR.