December 2023, Madagascar

In December 2023, shortly after completing Project Sayansi in Kenya, I travelled to Madagascar to learn more about wildlife conservation and whether it was an area that Village Projects Foundation might support in the future.

This was not a Village Projects Foundation project. I travelled as a volunteer with the Madagascar Research and Conservation Institute, more commonly known as MRCI. Their programmes are presented as conservation volunteering opportunities. However, it is important to clarify that MRCI operated as a commercial business rather than a charity.

The organisation was based on Nosy Komba, a beautiful island off the northwest coast of Madagascar. It is an extraordinary place, with tropical forests, clear water and an incredibly diverse population of wildlife. On first arriving, it felt like an ideal location from which to learn about conservation.

My reason for joining the programme was not simply to visit Madagascar. I wanted to understand how conservation projects worked on the ground, what meaningful wildlife research looked like and whether Village Projects Foundation could responsibly support something similar in the future.

The experience raised more questions than it answered.

One of our regular activities involved snorkelling to collect information about the different species of turtles we encountered. Each day, we would enter the water, record our sightings and return to camp with the data we had gathered.

The snorkelling itself was brilliant. Seeing turtles in their natural environment was a privilege, and Nosy Komba provided an incredible setting in which to observe marine life. The problem was what happened afterwards.

Our findings were written on a whiteboard, but as far as I could see, the information was not properly transferred, analysed or retained. The board would simply be wiped clean, ready for the next day. There appeared to be no long-term record and no explanation of how the data would contribute to turtle conservation.

We also took part in what was described as a “conservation walk”. In practice, this involved walking around the area and recording whichever animals or plants we happened to see. Spending time exploring the island was enjoyable, but it was difficult to understand how the activity connected to a structured research objective or produced a measurable conservation benefit.

This does not mean that every part of the programme lacked value. MRCI also ran a community teaching programme, which appeared to be considerably more successful. Travelling volunteers visited the local community and helped teach, providing additional support and creating opportunities for cultural exchange.

However, I left feeling that the conservation activities were designed primarily to provide volunteers with an enjoyable experience in Madagascar. There seemed to be a gap between the way the programmes were described and the practical value of the work being completed.

This was disappointing, but it was also educational. It taught me that an activity does not automatically become conservation simply because it involves wildlife or takes place in an environmentally important location. Proper conservation requires clear objectives, reliable data collection, scientific oversight and evidence that the work is contributing towards a meaningful outcome.

The most valuable part of the trip was undoubtedly the people I met.

John had been travelling around the world for two years and had experienced several different conservation environments. He had some fascinating observations about the organisations and programmes he had encountered. Comparing them helped us think more critically about what genuine conservation should look like and how easily well-intentioned volunteers can be attracted to projects without fully understanding their impact.

Sophie had previously worked for WaterAid and was a genuine force for good in everything she did. She had more energy than almost anybody I have ever met and approached every situation with an extraordinary determination to help. Her enthusiasm was infectious, but it was supported by real experience and a clear understanding of what responsible charitable work should involve.

Jess was a few years younger than me and was going through a difficult period when I arrived. Despite this, she showed remarkable positivity and resilience while constantly looking after the people around her.

One moment involving Jess has particularly stayed with me. Her foot had become badly infected, but she refused to go to hospital because somebody else at the camp was suffering from heatstroke and she felt they needed her care. While I’m not sure neglecting an infected foot was medically the correct decision, it demonstrated the sort of person she was. Even when she was struggling herself, her first instinct was to look after somebody else.

I also made some great friends in Robbie, Aimee, Nolan and Corinne, among others. Although many of us had questions about the programme, the volunteers were doing their best to make a positive difference. They had travelled to Madagascar with good intentions and brought enormous amounts of compassion, enthusiasm and energy with them.

That distinction became important to me. My concerns were never about the volunteers, who genuinely wanted to help. They were about whether those good intentions were being converted into worthwhile, lasting outcomes.

Outside Nosy Komba, Madagascar was unlike anywhere I had previously visited. It appeared to me to be the poorest country I had experienced, and the visible inequality was difficult to ignore. Corruption also seemed to affect many aspects of everyday life and contributed to a sense that communities were being failed by the systems around them.

Parts of nearby Nosy Be also made me deeply uncomfortable. In some areas, women involved in prostitution lined the streets, sometimes during the day as well as at night. It exposed a very different side of the tourism economy and was another reminder that beautiful destinations can conceal serious poverty, exploitation and inequality.

Madagascar is an incredible country. Its landscapes and wildlife deserve to be protected, and the people I met showed enormous kindness, resilience and generosity. At the same time, the trip made me more cautious about organisations that use charitable or conservation language while operating principally as commercial businesses.

I do not regret taking part. The experience gave me the opportunity to visit a remarkable island, observe some extraordinary wildlife and meet people who have remained important to me. It also taught me lessons that will continue to influence Village Projects Foundation.

The trip helped clarify the direction in which I want the charity to develop. I never want Village Projects Foundation to exist for the financial benefit of the people running it, nor do I want projects to be designed primarily to create attractive experiences for volunteers. Any volunteering opportunities we offer must serve the needs of the community or environment first.

Good intentions are important, but they are not enough. Projects need clear objectives, transparency and evidence that the work being completed has genuine value. If volunteers collect data, that data should be recorded, analysed and used. If we describe something as conservation, it must contribute meaningfully to protecting wildlife or the environment.

Madagascar did not lead to a new Village Projects Foundation project, but it still played an important role in the charity’s development. Sometimes the most valuable lesson is discovering what you do not want an organisation to become.

I left Nosy Komba with some brilliant memories, several close friendships and an even stronger belief that Village Projects Foundation must always remain genuinely charitable, transparent in its intentions and focused entirely on creating a positive and lasting impact.