VillageReach announced on 8 August 2019 that a fleet of drones had transported vaccines, syringes and medicines from Mbandaka to Widjifake, a remote village of 6,500 residents in Equateur province. The work was done with the DRC Ministry of Health, the drone operator Swoop Aero and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
Each flight took about 20 minutes, compared with a six-hour road journey, according to VillageReach. On return flights the drones brought back lab samples, data collection forms and requests for medicines. The release says the drones completed eight flights of 80 kilometres each in one day.