The 2017 disaster response, a pump for clean water – we bought 8!

The international news showed that across 17 countries in Africa some 38 million people were at risk after two consecutive years of drought.

As an organisation born for disaster response,  the board of WLE Logistics Southern Africa could not stand by, even though helicopters are not of great utility in droughts.  But standing by just wasn’t in line with their mission and values.  A drought response was needed.

So the management discussed making a donation to an South African ally, Mercy Air.  They had the contacts on the ground to ensure the maximum benefit in Mozambique.  There, according to the published information, drought has exhausted household food stocks, and aid is reaching only 45 percent the vulnerable. Cyclone Dineo, which hit coastal Inhambane Province, affected nearly 551,000 people and destroyed 27,000 hectares of crops. Food aid and seeds are urgently needed.

In essence, the donation was made in May 2017, and then Wings Like Eagles, whose loan in 2013 helped get the company started, see our results, said that they would consider the donation as a payment on the loan, if the pumps were appropriately labelled.  So that’s what happened!  Simple and quick.