ASI–Inter-America and Adventist World Aviation Sign MOU to Expand Mission Across the Territory

The new partnership will support relief, medical ministry, and gospel outreach to remote regions.

December 18, 2025 | Miami, Florida, United States | Inter-American Division News Staff

The Adventist-laymen’s Services and Industries of the Inter-American Division (ASI–IA) and Adventist World Aviation (AWA) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) formalizing a strategic partnership to expand humanitarian, medical, and mission aviation services throughout the territory.

Representing the two organizations, AWA president Deyvid Batista and ASI–Inter-America president Rohan Riley signed the document on December 10, in Miami, Florida, before ASI–IA board members, IAD administrators, and invited guests, marking the official launch of a coordinated aviation initiative to strengthen mission impact across multiple countries.

As part of the collaboration, AWA will station an aircraft in Jamaica to serve as a hub for humanitarian and mission operations throughout the Caribbean Basin. The organization operates aircraft in Guyana and previously in Nicaragua, and most recently delivered emergency goods in Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa in October 2025. The partnership ensures the aviation resources will be better coordinated and supported through ASI–IA networks and mission initiatives.

“This partnership represents a powerful step forward in expanding our mission reach,” said Pastor Braham, vice president of the Inter-American Division and secretary of ASI–IA. “By working together, ASI and AWA can bring critical humanitarian services, such as medical evacuations, disaster response, and missionary transport, to communities where they are most needed.”

A Providential Connection

The partnership traces its beginnings to an unplanned encounter earlier this year. While visiting his sister in North Carolina in August, Braham, preached at a local Adventist church and led a seminar. Afterward, a member encouraged him to visit AWA’s operations site a few miles away.

There he met Batista and initiated discussions about collaboration, leading to plans for ASI–IA and AWA leaders to meet in December during the ASI–IA board gathering in Miami.

When Hurricane Melissa devastated western Jamaica in late October, the developing relationship became immediately practical, he said. Braham, a native Jamaican with longstanding ties to government leaders on the island, contacted Batista to coordinate humanitarian flights. Within days, relief supplies—including water, rice, generators, Starlink units, and other emergency goods—were flown in from Miami, Montego Bay, and Kingston. Braham described the timing of their earlier meeting as providential, noting that AWA’s rapid response demonstrated the value of mission aviation and helped accelerate formal partnership discussions.

A series of follow-up visits to airstrips in St. Elizabeth—one of the hardest-hit parishes—further shaped plans for long-term aviation support, ultimately leading to the December signing of the MOU.

A Framework for Mission and Safety

The MOU outlines a clear structure for collaboration, emphasizing both mission potential and AWA’s operating independence. According to Riley, ASI–IA will support fundraising, logistics, and volunteer mobilization to facilitate effective aviation operations in the IAD territory.

Batista said the six-seater Cessna 206 aircraft will remain fully under the legal and regulatory responsibility of AWA; however, he welcomes the endorsement and strengthened partnership. “Our goal is to serve people in Christ’s name with the highest standards of safety, integrity, and compassion,” Batista said. “This agreement helps us expand our ministry in a well-coordinated and mission-driven way.”

A key element of the MOU is the Joint Aviation Mission Advisory Committee (JAMAC), which will assess mission needs, guide aviation expansion, and ensure alignment with ASI–IA priorities.

Committee membership includes aviation professionals, business leaders, and mission personnel from across the IAD, including Jamaica, Panama, the Dutch Caribbean, Mexico, Nicaragua, and other territories where aircraft are or soon may be operational. The committee will meet quarterly to review mission performance, safety protocols, community needs, and future expansion opportunities.

Partnership to Reach Remote and Challenging Regions

By combining AWA’s aviation expertise with ASI–IA’s network of professionals, institutions, and supporting ministries, the partnership is poised to broaden mission reach across some of the most challenging and underserved regions of the division, affirmed Riley.

“This partnership demonstrates what can happen when dedicated ministries unite in service to humanity,” Riley said. “We are excited about the lives that will be touched and the doors that will open through mission aviation.”

The MOU takes effect immediately and will remain in place for three years, with options for renewal and expansion based on the territory’s needs and the results of ongoing operations, ASI–IA leaders confirmed.

About AWA

Adventist World Aviation (AWA) is a humanitarian aid organization, a supporting ministry of the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, founded in 1995 to assist isolated communities and frontier missionaries. The organization operates more than 20 aircraft across several regions, including the United States, Canada, the Philippines, Guyana and Jamaica. Its mission flights provide medical evacuations, health outreach, disaster response, and support for Christian ministries. AWA’s operations are funded entirely through donations, with offices in Canada and corporate headquarters in North Carolina.