Volunteer Conservation Research Program in Madagascar

Volunteering with SEED was everything I hoped for from start to finish. I completed the full eight-week programme from Oct-Dec, which allowed me to fully integrate with the conservation team in the village of Sainte Luce. Seeing real research happen firsthand was incredible. I’ve wanted to visit Madagascar since I was a child to experience the wildlife, and this was by far the best way I could have done it. Each day, you could choose your activities, such as forest transects searching for lemurs, amphibians, and reptiles, working alongside local guides who are true experts and spot things you’d never see on your own, as well as monitoring and maintaining newly planted forest corridors. You gain an up-close understanding of wildlife behaviour and the ecosystem, while also learning how the local Malagasy community views conservation and daily life. That perspective was genuinely life-changing. Living in a tent for eight weeks in a forest definitely came with challenges, especially adjusting to the heat and basic living, but it was incredibly rewarding. The team were outstanding throughout, from helping organising my trip and arrival to dealing with any concerns on the ground, everything was handled professionally and with care. I don’t see how this experience could have been better for me. I would recommend SEED to anyone even considering Madagascar as it’s exactly how you should experience the country in my opinion.

Thank you so much to SEED for all that you do and for letting me play a small part during my time in Madagascar! The stay at the camp was amazing, with all that I could want and a great team welcoming me and taking the time to make sure all the volunteers were happy (even when they were knackered after a day of transects in torrential rain). A big highlight was the Varika lemurs leaping between the trees above the outdoor showers in the evenings. We were also lucky enough to meet Lisa (a member of the SCRP team) in her final week at camp and were there to witness a special ‘Veloma’ (goodbye party) with the national staff before she set off for her next adventure. It was at the party that we heard Hoby’s, a pillar of the SCRP team, song for the first time (later becoming a recurring motif in the trip, the most meaningful rendition of it being by a classroom full of children on our trip to the Manafiafy school in our final days). After a week of transects none of us could wait to see the beach everyone had been raving about and we certainly weren’t let down; crystal clear water, a beautiful sandy coast and a fresh coconut under the shade of a palm tree - paradise.

I joined SEED's conservation team for 1 month in the forests of Saint Luce, and had such a fantastic experience! I learnt so much from the conservation research team, going on daily surveys of local populations of lemurs, geckos, frogs, and insects. I also got to be a part of SEED's other projects with local communities, including attending a focus group with the Mahampy reed-weaving cooperative and helping facilitate a school session on coral reefs at a rural school. The volunteer program was such a fantastic way to learn about the humanitarian and conservation sectors, and also witness SEED's great work in Madagascar!

I had a really wonderful time with SEED Madagascar, on their conservation volunteering project in Sainte Luce. I was made to feel very welcome, and was very well looked after by the team on the ground. With the challenging conditions, health and safety was everyone's top priority, and I felt 100% safe and supported throughout my stay. Living conditions are basic - camping with limited sanitation (long drop toilets, well water bucket showers, purified rain water for drinking), and food is provided but options and variation is limited - but that is because you are living right in the forest, and the camp is regularly visited by lemurs, chameleons, frogs and other wildlife, wich more than makes up for it! With walking, and the occasional pirogue (dug out canoe) being the only locally available methods of transport, you need to be prepared to walk or paddle long distances (often 40 mins - 1hr) in the heat, and so good shoes (that can get wet - I highly recommend a pair of crocs!) and water carriers (a backpack bladder-type is ideal, but a good sized water bottle is fine too) are important. These treks are a reward in themselves, though, with breathtakingly beautiful scenery during the day and wonderfully dark night skies where the milky way and magellanic clouds were clearly visible. Helping with day and night-time surveys in the forest meant I got to see a wide variety of wildlife, much of it endemic to Madagascar, and to help SEED with their ongoing efforts to protect what is left of this unique and endangered habitat. I was also able to assist with conservation lessons at the local school, which were a fascinating glimpse into life in the local community. If you want to see Madagascar off the beaten track and away from the tourist towns and cities, and want to contribute to an organisation making a real difference on the ground, you really couldn't do better than volunteering with SEED Madagascar. I wish I had been able to stay longer, and really hope to return in the future.

I volunteered with SEED Madagascar during the autumn of 2018 on their Community Development programme where they gave me the opportunity to work within the local community and prioritise their needs in the work we did. Every day seemed to bring a new and exciting challenge from helping on the construction of a new school building where you work alongside a local construction team who are very friendly and accommodating during your work, to trekking to remote rural villages to make assessments on wells constructed by SEED as well as follow-ups on training they run for beekeeping in the area to help encourage a diverse range of livelihoods in the area to supplement the small scale agriculture already done by most families. The town of Fort Dauphin which you stay during the programme is also surrounded by some beautiful landscapes as well as offering a wide variety of foods and services as well as many excursions that are available to you within the vicinity all adds to the experience that awaits you.

I was on the Pioneer program for a total of eight weeks and loved almost every minute of it! The construction work challenged me just enough to drive me to improve my own skills, and if there was something I did struggle with the local construction team and the guides were always there to help. I found that the nature of our work meant that the volunteers worked together well as a team and therefore I have now made (hopefully) friends for life from across the globe. One of the aspects I enjoyed the most was the chatting that we all started when we were working, because it wasn't just the volunteers and the Malagasy guys in separate groups, there was a lot of overlapping between everyone, resulting in me learning a lot of Malagasy while I was there. Of course we worked hard, undertaking tasks such as brick laying and levelling in preparation for pouring the concrete floor. Another benefit of doing the Pioneer program is that if you are volunteering for 6 or more weeks, the last two weeks are spent at the conservation permanent location in Saint Luce, which meant I was able to get a view of the consvation efforts that SEED undertakes as well as making an immediate difference in the construction side of the program.

This programme has something to offer everyone. If you are considering a career in charity or with NGOs, if you are interested in wildlife and conservation, if you simply want to travel and immerse yourself in an utterly unique place and culture, then look no further. I can promise that there will never be a dull moment, that each day you will be experiencing something new and unique. During my time on the programme in 2013 I might be assisting with some light construction on one day, only to be trekking to remote communities to assess their needs and the impact of climate change the next. As an added bonus Fort Dauphin and the surrounding region is perhaps the most beautiful place I have ever been, during your time off from helping with the charity there will be myriad chances to enjoy it.

Choosing to go with Seed Madagascar was the right choice as so much effort is taken to ensure that the community and wildlife is positively affected by their work. Local guides were very friendly, spoke good English and could spot wildlife from a mile away- including from a moving car! Activities included surveying frogs on a night walk, measuring lobsters at the beach and replanting endangered trees, and there was plenty of time to take photos and take in the beautiful landscape of Sainte Luce. Camping is definitely not an issue, especially when brown lemurs visit the campsite and you are always 2 minutes away from the forest where there are chameleons, geckos and mouse lemurs! It's definitely a worthwhile experience, and I wished I had organised to spend more time travelling around Madagascar.

Have you ever dreamt of going far away but never dared to? That was a long time me but then I decided that going to Madagascar would be worth it and with the help of Seed it became an unforgettable experience. I taught English to local staff members in one-to-one sessions - a luxury situation which I rarely have as a teacher over here. The students were great and it was a pleasure working with them. The impressions of my time spent with a lovely Malgache family and my students are still with me. I would definitely love to come back.

Staff and organization were pleasant to work with, I would volunteer again maybe in another program. I enjoyed my time and would have stayed longer if I could. The city is small enough to walk around comfortably and there are plenty of taxis around otherwise. Schools were starting a English speaking club, the start was a bit rough with attendance but hopefully with time things will improve.

Taking a career break, I wanted to find a voluntary project with the right combination of challenge, reward with a dose of adventure; the Seed Madagascar English volunteer project gave me just that. The teaching was varied and intense, but deeply rewarding, with engaged students and lots of smiles. Take the chance and volunteer for as long as you can manage, you’ll see a unique and warm view of a really wonderful country. I’ve come back energised by the people and the place.

My time in Madagascar with Azafady was absolutely fantastic. I volunteered with the pioneer scheme for the maximum time of 10 weeks, from the start of January until the middle of March. During this time we undertook three separate projects, as well as assisting with conservation and reforestation work. Our first project was finishing off a new school for a village called Mahatalaky, located about 4 hours away from the main town in the south, Fort Dauphin. Next, we proceed on to a set of hamlets on the coast, collectively know as Sainte Luce; here we constructed from start to finish a new studio for an affiliated charity, Stitch, that teaches women how to sew and gives them a channel through which to sell tbeir products. Finally, we returned to Fort Dauphin to assist with sanitation research and latrine construction. What really sets Azafady apart from other similar volunteering schemes is the difference that the work you undertake makes. It is exceptionally rewarding knowing that what you have done will truly make a difference to the local people who have been given, simply due to where they were born, very little opportunity in life. Azafady is an extremely well run charity, the local guides and staff make you feel entirely welcome and are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. They help you learn the local language and get immersed in the culture and community. The work you undertake is fun, challenging and above all, satisfying. I would highly recommend anyone to sign up

You stay on the edge of St Luce, a small village in the rural SE of Madagascar. Tents are centered on a wooden long-house where meals are eaten and the hanging-out is done between trips in to the forest. These forest trips range from half-hour bird surveys to a couple of hours following lemurs or conducting Herp surveys - all very informative and good fun. All in the most amazing forest surroundings with the ever-present chance of seeing something incredible. All of the Azadafy staff, whether domestic or international, were very friendly and the organisation's relationship with the local community in St Luce make for a uniquely integrated experience. The Azafady literature makes the food in the bush seem intimidating but it's actually fantastic, the cooks do a great job. All-told, my only regret is that I didn't stay for longer. Although I highly recommend that you also leave time to travel the country after your volunteering is over. The guys in camp will give you some great advice.

As a seasoned field biologist that was looking to visit Madagascar and give back to the community, this trip was perfect for me. Azafady was suggested to me by a past volunteer I know, and it lived up to its reputation. The administrative staff answered my numerous questions before my departure, and I was picked up at the airport in Tana after midnight. The field setup is basic - latrines, bucket showers, a communal longhouse. The food is also basic- lots of rice and a variety of amazing beans that I have never seen before or since. The forests of St. Luce are INCREDIBLE- I saw more endemic species than I can count. Species that I still have trouble believing actually exist. If you are interested in nature and like camping and hiking (which is never too strenuous), this trip is made for you. The staff is caring, kind, genuine and their dedication is to be commended.

My reasons for coming to teach with NGO Azafady were simple. I wanted to become a better teacher. Having qualified to teach English as a foreign language 2 years previously, I wanted the opportunity to teach in an environment where there were limited materials, so that I could become more resourceful and learn to think on my feet in the classroom. It was so much easier than I expected. Despite class sizes of 60-70 children of mixed abilities, they were lively but well behaved and eager to learn. It made the work a real pleasure. I chose Madagascar as a destination because it is an island, and coming from Britain I never like to be too far from the sea, so a land locked country was not an option for me. The climate was appealing, not too hot or humid for my liking. NGO Azafady also fitted into my ideals – a sustainable organisation which practises what it preaches. A mixture of international and local staff who are an absolute pleasure to work with. I have made some good friends here. After my initial donation, flight and medical costs, I came with a budget. £1000 has been more than enough to last me 3 months. I limited my time to 3 months, as it seemed a good stretch, but it was not enough. The time flew by. I was so happy there. It's a colourful, vibrant, friendly place to be. There is poverty, but not misery. There is always something special to do and see and many beautiful places to visit. I had a variety of working opportunities – one-to-one, small classes, large classes in schools, English centres, for tour guides and at the tourist office. I was really been able to grow us as a teacher and Azafady were keen to let me make my own choices, to ensure the experience was a positive one. I would not hesitate to recommend coming to teach English in Madagascar. I am 48 years old and after spending 10 years working in local government, I took redundancy and changed career. It was been one of the best decisions of my life. I have been whale watching, explored caves, climbed rocks, spent time reading, swam in waterfalls, cycled in tropical forests, danced at weddings and music festivals, relaxed on beautiful beaches, fed dancing lemurs and took a road trip to the southern- most tip of Madagascar; my Azafady and Malagsy friends and I stood at the tip with the whole country behind us. IF YOU’RE UM-ING and AH-ING ABOUT APPLYING OR TAKING THIS OPPORTUNITY, SAVE YOUR RESERVATIONS AND GET ON A PLANE. IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

My 4 weeks with the Azafady Conservation Programme were just amazing! The research into the wildlife of Ste. Luce was fascinating and will hopefully help protect the amazing endemic species found there in the future. Watching lemur behaviour and finding chameleons and geckos by night will definitely stay with me for the rest of my life! The programme also allowed me to interact with the local community by teaching the children about the forest and English lessons. So much fun and the community is so wonderful, always smiling and laughing! That is definitely one of the reasons I find Azafady fantastic, as they combine conservation and community work. I would definitely recommend Azafady to anybody wanting an experience of a lifetime!!!

I spent July and August of 2013 volunteering with Azafady's Conservation Program, and I can honestly say that everyday I spent there was absolutely incredible. We were able to work hands on in conducting research on biodiversity and conservation and despite any challenges that could come our way, Azafady was always there to support and care for its volunteers before, during, and after our time in Madagascar. As a small NGO, it was so impressive to see how much work is being done in the region where Azafady operates, and how much of an impact this work has made on the lives of the local people and the environment. I have volunteered abroad with organizations in the past, but none have made such an impact as Azafady has on my life. I would HIGHLY recommend this program to anyone, it is a dream for anyone interested in conservation of one of the world's most diverse ecosystems!