Mission Aviation Fellowship is helping thousands of school children learn more about communities in need around the world and how a fleet of small planes is making all the difference.

Saturday marked the start of MAF's 'Advent Adventure' campaign educating children in a fun way about how light aircraft are being used to bring vital supplies like medicine, food and educational materials to some of the most hard-to-reach places in the world.

From December 1, children will be opening one door each day on their MAF Advent calendar to learn some fun facts about the places served by the charity. The physical advent calendar is accompanied by a special website with games, craft ideas and recipes, and a competition to win a flight on one of MAF's aircrafts.

Children's TV presenter Gemma Hunt helped launch the campaign last week by showing children at Hadlow Primary School in Kent around MAF's two-seater Cessna 150 aircraft.

'When I first heard about Mission Aviation Fellowship, it was incredible to hear about the huge range of life-changing work they are doing across the globe,' she said.

'I am so pleased I can be part of this Advent campaign so that children and families across the UK get the chance to find out more about what life is like for people living in some of the most isolated places around the world where MAF operates.

'I also hope the campaign may inspire children to think about how they can get involved with humanitarian work in the future – perhaps one of today's pupils could be a pilot, engineer, or charity worker of the future?'

Children at Hadlow Primary were given the chance to sit inside the cockpit and learn more about how aid reaches people living in different parts of the world.

Hadlow Primary School's Key Stage 2 leader, Rebecca Hooper said: 'Advent is the time of year when children are excited about getting ready for Christmas. It is good for them to have the chance to think about people who don't have as much as they have and to think about how they can give something back.

'The Advent calendars will hopefully remind them – so when they open each door, they will remember those who have less than they do and think about sharing what they have.'