Azafady
Programs and Reviews
Azafady is an award-winning UK registered charity and Malagasy NGO dedicated to supporting the people and ecosystems of Madagascar, one of the most biologically rich but economically poor countries in the world. Our approach is one of co-operation and participation with grassroots communities working to alleviate the effects of poverty and to support viable, environmentally-sensitive development. Our holistic development and conservation projects support some of the world's most vulnerable people in threatened & irreplaceable environments. We offer volunteers the opportunity to get involved in our projects in Madagascar through unique and challenging volunteering programmes lasting from 2 to 10 weeks.
Programs Abroad
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Reviews
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Coming to Madagascar has been an ambition of mine for a long time, ever since I first read one of my favourite books, The Aye-Aye and I by Gerald Durrell. The project certainly hasn't disappointed. Everyone on camp has been friendly and welcoming, and to be in such a wonderful place with like-minded people has really helped to generate an amazing experience for me so far.
Getting stuck into the research on some exciting new projects has been great, especially getting to know our local troop of black lemurs that live just outside the village. The highlight for me has been the birds (they are my thing) and getting to visit Ankarafantsika to see the fish eagles was magical.
I was a bit worried that I wouldn't see much of the mainland while I was here, but the sat camp solved that problem. The camp feels like home, and the home-comforts that I'd thought I'd miss seem unimportant now. I would definitely recommend this to anyone with an interest in nature.
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I absolutely loved my time in Madagascar with Azafady. I had wanted to volunteer on a conservation project and seeing this opportunity in such a special place I just had to go. I was really helped with all my preparations for going out there by the London office who were really helpful and supportive. And once we arrived the local staff were increadible and I felt really at ease even though I was in such a different place having not really travelled much on my own before.
The actual work with the ACP programme consisted of various data collection on either lemurs or reptiles and amphibians which were both really interesting and involved walking a lot to beautiful segments of forest and exploring remote places. We learnt how to handle some reptiles and amphibians for indentification purposes which was great. I learnt so much in this time, the guides were increadibly knowledgeable and patient with teaching about the local environment and the culture customs and language.
We also had classes with the local children twice a week to teach them about thier environment and conservation. This really made us feel like we could help the local community a little as well as the wildlife and also to be welcomed in by the people. We were camping on the edge of a village called Ambandrika where the people are wonderfully friendly and kind and inquisitive about us visiting. The campsite is more basic than what peopl are used to back home (UK) but you quickly get used to it and its actually really nice to live like this for a while.
I was extremely sad when my 4 weeks were up and I had to go home, this is a wonderful experience and I highly recommend it to anyone considering it. I wish I could have done the whole 10 week programme or even be able to work there for a year.
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This is a volunteer program from you benefit more than the comunity. Even so you can see the improvement and fun in the community, which you bring.
But hard manual work, international group 24/7, living in a tent without shower and flush toilettes and daily rice and beans forms a new little family for you and it will be a great time.
Critical Feedback:
The work you do is beneficial but in the end Azafady needs your money not your labour.
100%Overall
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Earlier this year I spent a fantastic month in Madagascar with Azafady. Arriving in Madagascar I was struck by the difference in wealth and lifestyle, even though I have previously travelled to similarly developed countries. At the same time though, the Malagasy were incredibly friendly and welcoming, and always cheerful despite the daily hardships many of them endure. I also saw a variety of amazing animals during the trip, including several species of the famous lemur, which cannot be found anywhere else in the World.
We spent the majority of our trip out in the bush, working to repair and improve a primary school. With the help of experienced local builders, we worked hard on the school repairs every day, getting about 1 day off a week. Work hours are from straight after breakfast (sweet rice and bananas, surprisingly tasty!) through to lunch, then there is a break during the hottest part of the day, before more work in the afternoon. It is hard work, particularly in the heat, but very rewarding. We spent the evenings out under the stars, with refreshingly cold bucket showers and rice & beans for tea. One difficulty we did all have was traveller's sickness - obviously this is to be expected when on a trip like this though, and the staff/other volunteers were good about taking care of those who did get ill.
During our trip there was also time to visit the nearby town a few times, attending the opening day of a secondary school also built by Azafady, and taking part in events on World Malaria Day. The local children were all extremely friendly and excited, and on one particularly memorable day we even had the chance to teach lessons on English, Health & Hygiene and Environment.
Support from staff both in country and before the trip was outstanding - although Azafady is a charity and does things on a smaller budget than commercial operators, you wouldn't know it. Having done similar trips before I was very impressed at the support given beforehand, and in country they don't disappoint either.
Though it is a cliche, I found my time with Azafady to be an unforgettable, life-changing experience. I don't usually return to the same country twice, but in this case I'm seriously considering it, and if I do, it will be with Azafady.
Critical Feedback:
Occasionally the communication between the builders overseeing the work and the volunteers didn't work too well, so we'd do a task only to have to do it slightly differently or redo it the following day. I think more explanation of the overall plan at the beginning might have helped here.
Alumni Interviews
Staff Interview
Azafady has been a regular feature in Joe's life since he joined the Pioneer programme in 2006. His time on Pioneer opened his eyes to the world, reinforcing his understanding of what uneven development looks like in reality. After falling in love with Madagascar, Joe returned in 2008 as a conservation research specialist with Azafady, using his research on the critically endangered palm, Dypsis saintelucei to write his Undergraduate dissertation for his BSc in Physical Geography from the University of Southampton. His dissertation won the Alfred Steers Dissertation Prize from the Royal Geographical Society for the Best Dissertation from a UK University Geography department in 2009.
Since graduating from University, Joe undertook an 8 month campaigns internship with Tourism Concern, focussing on human rights and tourism and more ethical forms of travel, before securing his current position with Azafady in the UK. He is currently studying Chinese and is interested in China's growing influence in Africa.
Go Overseas: What position do you hold at Azafady? What has your career path been like so far?
Joe: I'm the International Volunteer Coordinator here at Azafady's UK office in London. I suppose on reflection my career path started when I went out to Madagascar with Azafady as a volunteer on the 10 week Pioneer programme in 2006. This was before I had gone to university and whilst it sounds cheesy it certainly opened my eyes to what inequality looks like in reality - it's pretty much shaped everything I've done since. Two years after returning from Madagascar I went back out with Azafady as a research specialist focussing on the endangered palm Dypsis saintelucei, working the research findings into my final year project to wangle a bit more time out in SE Madagascar.
After graduating from university with a degree in Physical Geography I spent another year travelling before working for Tourism Concern as a Campaigns Intern. Tourism Concern are one of the only organisations taking a human rights approach to tourism - making sure that locals benefit from the industry as opposed to being exploited. Having seen how tourism can work well (such as with Azafady in Madagascar) and not so well (when travelling in China and Tibet), this was a poignient place to work before moving on to my current role.
Go Overseas: What are the core principles Azafady strives to achieve?
Joe: Azafady is an award-winning British registered charity (number 1079121) partnered with an independent Malagasy NGO. Founded in 1994, we work on a wide range of projects both within the town of Fort Dauphin and with numerous rural communities across the Anosy region. Our mission is to alleviate poverty and conserve unique and biologically rich but greatly endangered forest environments in south east Madagascar by empowering some of the poorest people to establish sustainable livelihoods for themselves and improve their well-being. We have four main working departments; Community Health, Construction, Sustainable Livelihoods and Environment. We recruit volunteers to help us achieve our aims but our priority is firmly routed in the communities who we are working with.
Go Overseas: What separates Azafady from other volunteer providers?
Joe: Volunteers that come to work with us do just that - they become temporary members of staff for a UK charity partnered with a leading Madagascar NGO contributing to vital projects all of which have been locally requested by communities. This makes Azafady unique and ensures that volunteers have a genuine experience that will contribute to the ongoing sustainable development of a region that is home to some of the most marginalised communities in the world.
Go Overseas: What does the future hold for Azafady?
Joe: Azafady is not trying to change the world. We're realistic about our goals and the scope of what we can achieve. Focussing solely on the Anosy region of SE Madagascar, an area in many ways cut off from the rest of the country, we have built up a reputation over the last 17 years as a local capacity building organisation with a strong foundation in sustainability. We hope to expand this by building the capacity of other organisations in the region. Another focus for us over the coming year will be upscaling our sanitation work. Sanitation in SE Madagascar is notoriously poor but with some groundbreaking successes last year through implementing a new methodology for improved sanitation in rural areas we are now looking at delivering a variation of this approach to the urban centre of Fort Dauphin. With poor sanitation responsible for what are unacceptable levels of disease and shockingly high infant mortality rates this project could have a significant impact on improving community health at the regional scale.
Go Overseas: In your experience, what characteristics make a good international volunteer?
Joe: The best volunteers are like sponges. They absorb everything around them, soak up the culture and embrace the lifestyle before squeezing it out into the project work side by side with local communities. So being sponge-like is perhaps the best characteristic! Combining this with a philosophy that you will only get out of the experience what you put into it and you have all the ingredients for a fantastic volunteer. So all that's left to do is to throw yourself into Madagascar!
I choose to do the ACP program on a whim after finIshing unIversity so I could put off getting a job and it was one of the best decisions I have made. The people, environment and azafady staff that I encountered during my time with azafady made the experience one I won't forget in a hurry and my only regret was I didn't go for longer than 4 weeks. So if you want to do some worth while conservation work and don't mind rice & beans, drop toilets and bucket showers this is the place for you.
The initial contact with azafady and the sorting out of your volunteering stuff before you leave is pretty good, they can book you hotels in mada and help with flights and so on. I was never left wanting more information.
Once your in Fort Dauphin (actually a pretty cool town with a decent night life) your shown around and the whisked of to the bush for all the fun stuff. The conservation work up there was fantastic and I actually learnt some worth while ecology skills doing which was convinient. Basically the work revolved around lemur behaviour, HERPs (reptiles and amphibians (so much more fun than lemurs)), endemic palms and conservation education with the locals.
Life in camp was a ball, you've got the local madagash staff who keep the place running, the local guides which keep you from getting lost in the bush, the azafady guides whom are experts on everything wild in mada and really amazing people and then you have the ACP research assistants whom are responsible for your well being and were beyond amazing and really made my time there fun and worth while. There are also other volunteers. And while much is made of the rice and beans you have the opertunity to by fruit, fish and lobster at redicously low prices and the local shop is more often than not stocked with beer (warm but still good). The work can wear on you at times I guess but I found my self often wanting to do more.
But basically this is an amazinging program done by amazing people and unless there is something wrong with you you will have a fantastic time.
Critical Feedback:
More work could of been done at times I thought but that's just me, some people would argue it could get too much. Depends on the person.