Ethiopia Drone Network
October 2023 - Current
Ethiopia’s first long-range drone network has completed a 30-day project delivering medical items, including 6936 vaccine doses in 44 total flights to 6 hard-to-reach communities. The first two deliveries in the network took place on Friday, October 20th, 2023, and included vaccines against tuberculosis, poliovirus, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, Hib, and hepatitis B. These deliveries carried enough vaccines to supply these target locations for one month and marks a significant step in improving healthcare delivery in Ethiopia's most remote regions.
Australian drone company Swoop Aero's automated, remote piloted aircraft Kite can fly up to 120 kilometers with a 3 kg payload before requiring a battery swap. To reach the most remote clinics, a battery swap location has been established midway, extending the network's reach to 240 kilometers from the distribution hub. The drone flies pre-planned routes that have been mapped to avoid obstacles such as mountains, power lines, and buildings. Kite, takes-off and lands vertically, allowing for two-way delivery providing the ability to speed diagnostic samples from hard-to-reach communities to central labs.
The 30-day project was funded by Red Lightning and operated by Freight in Time and the Information Network Security Agency (INSA). Drone logistics is the latest phase in a multi-year initiative to bring supply chain innovation to the last mile delivery of healthcare items in the region. The Global Fund, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, the Ethiopian Pharmaceutical Supply Service (EPSS) and Freight in Time (FiT) formed a private-public partnership in 2020 aimed to reduce missed vaccinations, target at-risk-zero-dose children and eliminate medical item stockouts at the local level. The UPS Foundation and GAVI have provided the financial support for this PPP since 2022 and have generously committed an additional US$1 million to continue this support through 2024.
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Maui, Hawaii
August 2023
The Maui wildfires devastated the island starting August 8th, 2023. The fires hit the town of Lahaina hardest, reducing much of the town to ruins and causing over 100 fatalities. This marked one of the world's deadliest wildfires, with nearly 3,000 structures damaged or destroyed.
Red Lightning deployed a team to assess the needs, identifying internet connectivity as a prominent challenge. In a swift response, we procured and deployed 100 Starlink units to effectively address this concern. Internet connectivity allows family members to communicate their safety, file for unemployment, pay bills, and other life-altering tasks.
Turkey
April - May 2023
On February 6th, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake occurred in southern Turkey and northern Syria. This event and the subsequent aftershocks has led more than 58,000 deaths, 130,000 injured, and 3 million displaced.
Red Lightning deployed Michael to Turkey to help Water Mission provide fresh water to those displaced by the earthquakes. He trained local staff on team leadership and project management for long-term success.
Women’s Clinic in Eswatini
January - Current
With support from The UPS Foundation, Red Lightning delivered a semi-permanent shipping container to one of The Luke Commission's mobile clinics in Eswatini, where 33% of the population is HIV positive. Inside, they conduct life-saving cervical cancer screenings and HIV detection and treatment, seeing 250-400 patients daily.
Zithromax Delivery Ethiopia
January 2021 - Current
Zithromax is an antibiotic used to treat Trachoma, a bacterial infection that is the leading cause of preventable blindness worldwide.
In collaboration with The UPS Foundation, Pfizer, and the International Trachoma Initiative, we are forecasted to deliver 39 million Zithromax doses by the end of the year.
COVID-19 Response
July 2021 - Current
Red Lightning was asked work with local governments across Africa to map current supply chains, assess readiness gaps, and design operating plans to ensure the successful distribution of this life-saving vaccine. In addition to many virtual meetings, we traveled to Malawi, Zambia, Cameroon, Mauritania, and Ethiopia to come alongside local government officials to share best practices and create localized project plans.
We leveraged Subject Matter Experts such as UPS Healthcare supply chain engineers, and even a retired Vice President from Pfizer, John O’Sullivan, to find the best solution for each population. We also built an ultra cold training course that has been completed by 900 people in 10 countries. Our friends at The UPS Foundation provided gift in kind transportation, portable ultra cold freezers and vaccine carrying cases, and even used drones for last mile deliveries.
To date, we have been able to help these countries successfully deliver 36 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, The UPS Foundation designed and funded a program to advance vaccine equity in low-income countries. The requirement to move Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine doses at -60 ֯ C to -80 ֯ C posed a significant challenge in many of these countries that don’t have ultra cold freezers or dry ice manufacturing capabilities. Long distances and hard to access towns and villages added to the complexity.
The Big Island, Hawaii
May 2018
The Big Island, Hawaii - Michael served as a volunteer for 2 weeks with the Salvation Army supporting a feeding kitchen for 300 displaced residents.
Puerto Rico
October - December 2017
Michael served as the Operations Chief for the Salvation Army EDS team on Puerto Rico, planning and executing FEMA supported distributions after Hurricane Maria. Michael was responsible for the organization, safety, navigation, and on-location training for over 125 volunteers in Puerto Rico, in addition to coordinating with over a dozen other aid groups.
US Virgin Islands
September - October 2017
Craig and Michael Deployed to St Thomas with the Salvation Army helping to assist with hot meal support to the community, as well as distributions to St. John, St. Croix and St. Thomas.
Sindhupalchok, Nepal
May - June 2015
Only two weeks after returning from Vanuatu, Michael deployed again with Damarius and the Salvation Army team to Nepal after a devastating earthquake. Friends notified the Salvation Army team of 8 villages high in the Himalayan Mountains whom were not getting aid support. Michael hiked with 2 Sherpas to assess the villages, and along the way arranged for the medical evacuation of 3 victims suffering from their injuries using his Sat phone. Partners with the local medical hospital and Samaritans Purse executed the evacuation.
The Salvation Army team provided many thousands of tarps and significant food supplies to the villages, much of which was delivered by helicopter to these areas over many months. Funds raised by Red Lightning went directly to purchasing solar chargers, which allowed for the coordination with locals who had lost electricity, but still had cell service. Additional funds were also used, again in partnership with the Salvation Army, to move a crippled man to a local hospital to receive the medical attention he needed.
Vanuatu
March - April 2015
Michael and Craig deployed with the Salvation Army to Vanuatu, Flew from Port Villa to the island of Tanna and then hiked for many hours to reach 3 remote villages whose natural spring water supply pipeline had been destroyed by a recent cyclone. Many of the villagers were drinking brackish water (a mix of fresh and seawater). Working together with a water specialist from Samaritan’s Purse, the team secured and transported 5 Kilometers of flexible water tubing, and transported it with the help of the French Military. The fresh mountain water supply to the 1000 villagers was restored shortly thereafter. Michael was given a Chief’s Staff, a bow and arrow, and a promise of a plot of land if he ever decided to retire to Vanuatu.
Philippines
November - December 2015
Michael partnered up with the Salvation Army and his friends Damarius and Craig for a second time in Tacloban and helped deliver food those displaced after the Typhoon Yolanda. Red Lightning raised $27,000, all of which went to the purchase and delivery of food supplies, working with the Salvation Army and local LDS Churches. It was after this deployment that Michael and Craig officially trained for International Disaster Aid Services with the Salvation Army.
Sendai Japan
March - April 2011
Michael traveled to Sendai, Japan, this time teaming up with the Meysen English School where he served as a consultant to help distribute goods donated by Samaritains Purse, Meysen School and direct donations from those supporting the school. It was in Japan that Michael started experimenting with real time disaster aid information systems that would lead to the creation of the Red Lightning App.
Haiti
February 2010
Shortly after the devastating earthquake near Port-Au-Prince that claimed the lives of nearly 250,000 victims, photography instructor Michael Andrew felt an overwhelming sense of need to go to Haiti to help. Without any specific plan and without any on the ground contacts, Michael flew to Orlando Florida and partnered up with one of his blog readers, Brian Owen. The two then traveled to the Dominican Republic where they found a UN sponsored bus taking aid workers to Port-Au-Prince, and teamed up with others including Matthieu Louis, a Haitian born American who was returning to determine the safety of his family. One of the other passengers on the bus had connections to the Salvation Army, and the four found a secure place to stay under the wing of the Salvation Army’s small camp.
It was there Michael became acquainted with many members of the Salvation Army's international disaster aid response team, including his mentor Damarius an SA coordinator and long time team-mate Craig Arnold, a logistics specialist employed by UPS. Matthieu and Michael found a need in identifying and assessing orphanages in the Port-Au-Prince area and with the support of the Salvation Army team, made several deliveries to them. The entire deployment is documented in Michael’s first book, “3 Weeks in Haiti”, which has been included in suggested reading lists for Disaster Aid Preparation Classes.
