Missionary Pilots Risk Lives to Reach Forgotten Communities in Congo

Missionary Pilots Risk Lives to Reach Forgotten Communities in Congo

Dominic Villeneuve grips the controls of his small aircraft as it descends toward a rugged airstrip in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Below, armed militias patrol the roads. Entire villages remain cut off from food, medicine, and hope. Yet, he flies in anyway.

Villeneuve, a Canadian pilot with Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), serves some of the most isolated communities in one of the world’s deadliest conflict zones. His mission is simple but dangerous: deliver aid where no one else can go.

“Yes, this work is stressful,” he said in an interview. “But my faith gives me peace. This is my calling.”

The DRC is facing a massive humanitarian crisis. According to the United Nations, 27 million people need urgent help. Militias like M23 continue to terrorize the east, while decades of conflict have left roads destroyed, millions displaced, and public services in ruins. Despite its mineral wealth, the DRC ranks among the world’s poorest nations.

Traditional aid organizations often cannot reach the worst-hit areas. Road travel risks ambush or kidnapping, and commercial airlines avoid the region entirely. That’s why MAF’s small fleet is vital.

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The organization has 26 staff members in the DRC, flying to more than 35 remote airstrips. They carry medicine to clinics, food to starving families, and even peace negotiators into war zones. These flights have enabled rival groups to meet on neutral ground, broker agreements, and reduce bloodshed.

But the work is fraught with danger. Villeneuve once found a bullet hole in his aircraft’s wing after a flight. Fuel shortages can ground planes for weeks. Power outages, broken supply chains, and collapsing infrastructure add to the challenge.

“Food and fuel insecurity are constant,” Villeneuve said. “Sometimes basic items vanish from markets or become too expensive. Gasoline and diesel are lifelines for our planes and generators.”

Despite the risks, MAF pilots press on. The group flew more than 16,000 flights across 12 countries in 2024, recruiting Christian pilots motivated by faith and the Great Commission.

For Villeneuve, peace is more than the silence of guns. “It is the peace that surpasses understanding,” he said. “It’s knowing God is present even in the storm.”

MAF echoes that belief. “At the heart of every crisis are people mothers, fathers, children who are scared and hurting. Above all, they need love.”

Every flight into Congo’s forgotten corners carries more than supplies. It carries a message of hope: you are not forgotten.

 

 

 

Content Credit: Moyosola Oni

Image Credit: Google .Com