I had an amazing experience in Madagascar with Azafady when I took part in their Pioneer Volunteer project over summer 2011. I was there for the full 10 weeks, and even had the chance to travel for a week once it was done. Our time was broken up into three work placements, two on a school construction site just outside a village and one building stoves in a different community. The project was extremely well organised and we volunteers were made to feel comfortable enough outside whilst still being firmly outside our comfort zones. The work was trying but incredibly rewarding, and it, as well as our down time, was spent in stunning landscapes. On our time off we were able to explore the various towns and environs we worked in, as well as visit some beautiful beaches and go on long hikes. We were able to get to know the locals, villagers and Azafady team members alike, and were integrated enough with them to learn lots about the language and culture. I would highly recommend this project to anyone!

I had a fantastic experience on Pioneer with Azafady. Madagascar is a beautiful country and it left me feeling so lucky that I'd had the opportunity to experience it and be a part of it. On the programme we were working with the communities on projects that they'd asked for and so it really felt like we were making a difference there. It was over 6 years ago now that I went on the programme but memories from my time there fill my head everyday and im still in contact with others I met out there. You do need to be prepared for roughing it a bit though - camping, getting dirty and working hard in all weather conditions so if you're looking for a holiday then probabaly not for you but otherwise get stuck in and you'll love it!!

Salama!
I fell in love with Madagascar when I was a tourist travelling across the island in 2005, when I was living in Réunion Island. I was desperate to come back in a more meaningful context. I found out about Azafady on the internet and made enquiries straightaway. I decided to finish my degree before returning. I was a pioneer the January after I graduated after having fund-raised and worked to raise the money I needed to go. It is a decision that I will never regret and has marked me to this day. Azafady has a pro-active, sensitive and determined approach to poverty alleviation and development. I loved getting to know the locals whilst building the latrine for the community hospital in Mandromondromotra. Cement mixing is hard work but improved hygiene and sanitation for the local population hugely rewarding. This project was accompanied with Azafady's team working alongside the local population to encourage safe drinking water use, we also fixed the only well in the village. A highlight was watching the local women perform role plays that spoke louder than words, using their own customs to communicate the message of the importance of clean, safe drinking water. We also worked alongside the local population in St.Luce in the reforestation project amongst other projects in Fort-Dauphin. I have returned several times to see the trees we planted, they are growing strong! I know that my money was used to benefit the direct project needs and I feel that the 3 months here opened up opportunities for what has followed. I came back and lead a team with Tearfund in the North and then ended up working for an NGO in DR Congo. My experiences with Azafady in Madagascar have been invaluable and I look forward to my next visit to this amazing island. Big shout out to my fellow pioneers too!

Misaotra betsaka Azafady! Tena tsara ny asanareo, mitahiry ny ala vo ny olo-marina. (Thank you very much Azafady! Your work is very good, protecting the forest and the people)

Not long into the ten weeks I spent with Azafady in Ste.Luce I was already plans ways to get back and work with them again! I learnt so much about the extraordinary wildlife of the region. I gained valuable research skills and first-hand insight into the problems and opportunities surrounding the forest fragments and the local community. I love the dedicated Azafady staff, the wise local guides, the joyful children in the conservation class, and I miss them every day. Ste.Luce is a stunningly beautiful place where you'll find fascinating animals and plants everywhere you look (the tiny brookesia chameleons and the woolly lemurs that slept above our tents were my favourites!). It is a very poor area, and Azafady are doing wonders to help people deal with the challenges that poses. The programme offers volunteers a chance to really get involved in this work. I could happily live the rest of my life with such an enthusiastic team, in those perfectly simple basic living conditions (very well fed by amazing chefs!), being outside almost all the time in the fresh air and sunshine, doing work that really matters, in such an incredible place with such wonderful people.

The most amazing thing for me was being able to see lemurs every day. Living in the same area as lemurs and other fantastic animals was so cool, and to see how people live in the village was very eye-opening. I felt like I made a difference with my lemur observations, population and habitat studies. The people in the community were so wonderful, you could tell they really loved having us there, and the kids wanted to interact with us whenever they could. Even though we were "roughing it," things were pretty comfortable. I really enjoyed my time with Azafady working in the conservation programe, and I can not recommend it enough. Madagascar is an amazing place, and being able to help the animals and people there is very rewarding.

I went on Azafady's Lemur Venture Program in the summer of 2008. It was an AMAZING experience, which immersed me in an interesting and different culture while also allowing me to learn an incredible amount about lemur conservation work in Madagascar. I enjoyed being exposed to other volunteers from many other countries, since I'm from the U.S., while also learning some Malagasy and getting to know our local guides.

The program brings you to both the city (Fort Dauphin) and more rural areas, and I think camping was a great way to do that. (Although, it did get cold at night, even in the summer!)

Doing lemur research was incredible. I was maybe 10 feet away from some of the most endangered animals on the planet, recording feeding habits and other things. We also did botanical counts and research on the folliage.

My time in Madagascar was the most transformative, life changing experience of my life. This programme allowed me to completely change the way I live, and refocused my perspectives toward what really matters in life - the depth of one's social connections with friends, family, and community, acknowledging each other as human beings first, and exploring and pushing one's personal limits to heights never thought possible.
I have travelled to many other countries to do similar volunteer work, but nowhere else did I feel my work was so appreciated, so useful, and so needed. What I did mattered, and it matter to the people who most needed it. This organisation does not just develop projects to keep volunteers busy, the projects have been developed for the people affected, by the people affected. What's more is seeing the positive transformation of the community after just 3 months. It is something that sticks with you, something you will never forget.