Zke Films

The Pacific is made up of hundreds of small inhabited islands and after the guns of WWII grew cold and the soldiers went home, the local tribes were left to pick up the pieces and fend for themselves. With few natural resources, little water, and no medical facilities, the islands leave a lot to be desired. Desperation Island follows the daily lives of the men and women who have come to the rescue of the island people by bringing them food, water, medical supplies, and modern technology in order to educate the locals to once again protect and provide for themselves.

Like the dangers encountered in crab fishing and ice road trucking, the volunteers that have come to the islands face life threatening dangers everyday. They travel between the islands by small outrigger canoes, ships, and airplanes, facing the elements of the open seas on a daily basis. They will stop at nothing in their pursuit to reach these people in need and for this they have decided to give up everything to live among the tribes of this region as they teach and bring modern technologies and medical help to the islanders of Micronesia.

To most, the Pacific is a place of awesome beauty, white sandy beaches, and palm trees swaying in the wind. But for those who call the islands their home, it is a constant battle against the elements and a daily struggle to survive. Without modern technology or early warning signals, these islanders live in fear of deadly typhoons and tsunamis. The isolation often brings these cultures close together as everyone must work together to have a chance to survive. But even these bonds of brotherhood and family are not enough to provide all the basic needs necessary for these cultures to succeed. More must be done… will anyone answer their cries for help?

There is one group that has made it their passion to protect and serve these remote outer islands and atolls of the Pacific. Their name is Pacific Mission Aviation, and they have mounted a mass army of volunteers over the past 30 years to help in this lost and forgotten region. Together they own and operate an orphanage, a 189-ton medical ship and 5 twin turbo prop airplanes that are used daily to serve the people of Micronesia.

THE SEA HAVEN: A floating clinic, the "M/V Sea Haven", serves remote islands that have no harbors or airstrips. Based in Pohnpei, the 189-ton Sea Haven serves among the atolls of the Federated States of Micronesia. The Sea Haven provides routine and emergency medical services, primary health care, health education, disaster relief and logistical support to outer-island dispensaries.

AVIATION: Many islands served by PMA were previously accessible only by small outrigger canoe, and some remain that way to this day! High waves often make this form of travel very treacherous, rendering many of the small islands totally isolated for months on end. Airdrops of relief supplies immediately after a typhoon may be the atoll's only hope of survival. Often, PMA lands on a nearby island, and still must travel an hour or two by outrigger canoe, navigating treacherous reefs, and often high waves, to reach some of the islands they serve! Their airplanes in Micronesia operate out of Yap, and in the Philippines out of Manila.

With irregular and often nonexistent transportation to the outside world, many of these people would live and die without the hope of adequate medical, educational and emotional help. Though small in numbers, they are equally important to humanity.

Passenger and cargo services, transport of food and supplies, disaster relief, medical evacuations and sea searches are just the beginning of the many ways in which PMA reaches those in need.