Operating primarily in Madagascar – one of the world's poorest countries – the organisation uses hovercraft to deliver life-saving medical care to people living in areas no other transport can access.
Madagascar presents formidable challenges: roughly the size of the UK and Germany combined, its road network covers an area equivalent only to Devon. Approximately 66% of the population faces difficulties accessing healthcare, with many communities more than five kilometres from the nearest health facility. When the rainy season arrives, dirt roads wash away and rivers become too shallow for boats, leaving millions completely cut off.
This is where HoverAid's unique approach comes into its own. Hovercraft can skim across water, mud, swamps, and waterways too shallow for conventional boats – transforming journeys that once took three days on foot into trips of under three hours. From its permanent base in the capital Antananarivo, established in 2006, HoverAid dispatches teams of volunteer doctors on Medical Mission Safaris, setting up camp in remote villages to deliver major and minor surgery, ultrasound scans, dental care, and general consultations.
On average, it reaches over 6,000 patients a year across multiple medical safaris, with some travelling more than 100 kilometres to reach the clinics. A single mission to Ambatolahy in March 2025 saw a record-breaking 50 surgical operations and 140 ultrasound scans. Alongside its healthcare work, HoverAid runs Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene programmes, distributing BioSand filters and delivering essential hygiene training to remote river communities.
Backed by teams in the UK and the Netherlands and supported by over 80 medical professionals and dedicated volunteers, HoverAid embodies its mission: reaching the unreachable, bringing hope and healing, and transforming lives where others simply cannot go.
Learn more about their work
here.
