about
How did Just Love Mission begin?
Just Love Mission (JLM) is a charity born out of love for aviation and the positive effects it can have not only on individual people but communities as well. We believe that anybody can do something spectacular, but if it is not done with love, the shine wears off and it has little lasting impact. These sentiments have often been echoed in the past.
To quote but one famous person: “In doing something, do it with love or never do it at all” – Mahatma Gandhi.
We are doing so by serving through the medium of aviation in the personality of “Little Annie”, the Antonov AN-2 aircraft donated for this specific purpose. Due to accidents, diseases, pestilence, natural disasters and/or conflict, many children/young adults are left destitute, mostly as orphans. It is in this area that the JLM charity places its focus.
The idea for the Just Love Mission charity was conceived by Mark Hill, a seasoned pilot with 36 years’ experience in both helicopters (8 364 hours) and fixed wing aircraft (4 874 hours). The AN-2, an aircraft type first flown on 31 August 1947, was selected as the ideal aircraft type to reach rural areas with unconventional landing spaces. Several personal attempts to secure an AN-2 failed, and it was only in 2011 when Mark Hill and a close friend discussed the idea with a business associate Mr. Andrei Martirosov, CEO of UTair in Russia (who thought the idea to be “cool”), that this dream was realised and ratified on condition that “Annushka” (Russian) or “Annie” (English) was to be flown from Siberia to Cape Town as part of the Ocean to Ocean theme.
The aircraft was subsequently donated by UTair Cargo and flown all the way from Tyumen (Siberia) to Cape Town and then back to Pretoria, where she currently resides with the Just Love Mission family. The trip, which had to overcome various administrative nightmares regarding flight clearance issues, weather, corruption, theft of precious avgas fuel and more, should have taken two and half weeks. Instead, it took two and a half months to cover the 17 180 km, consuming approximately 19 500 litres of fuel and 470 litres of oil.
Inspired by the classic comic strip and subsequent film “Annie” about a young orphan, through her positive outlook and undying hope of being reunited with her family, impacted the lives of those around her in a meaningful way, it was only natural that the aircraft, now registered in South Africa, ZU-JLM, should assume the name “Little” Annie. She was thus adopted for use in the Southern African theatre of operation primarily in a humanitarian role.
What makes this project unlike any in the world today, is that while we are delivering humanitarian services in various regions, we afford less privileged children/people the opportunity to fly in Little Annie and receive a photo of this once in a lifetime experience to treasure.
The JLM outreach model incorporates tangible aid where needed, but also enrichment and encouragement through short presentations to communities. We use role models who have come from similar backgrounds of poverty to encourage and give communities hope that they too may achieve their respective dreams in alignment with their natural talents. “The day Little Annie came to our village” has a life changing impact on young and old.
We believe the persona of “Little Annie” the aircraft will stimulate the imagination and that young children will identify with Little Annie, who has overcome numerous challenges to achieve her dreams. Little Annie is a catalyst in building lasting relationships. People who have met and experienced Little Annie are able to remain motivated and in contact as they follow her adventures via social media, our website and in print media.
There are many people who care enough to share their time, knowledge, experience, and various resources to help others to help themselves and realise their dreams. We hope you will come on board to help people to experience love, the strongest force in the universe, and to kindle the desire to achieve the impossible through perseverance.