We offer throughout the year Missions d'Ecovolontariat

to help us protect the Makay massif.

If you share our values and feel concerned about the causes we fight for, come and join us in the field ! Not only will you help protect biodiversity and provide better living conditions to remote communitiesbut you will also live a moment out of time, make unforgettable meetings, observe wonderful animals and explore ecovolunteer missions are made for you!

Why come with us ?

• Our missions allow you to discover the Makay massif, one of most beautiful place on the planet, side by side with people who knows it in depth,
• They ensure you will be able to watch several species of lemurs.
• They can live a disconnection and a rare healing and beneficial to the rhythm of nature and the songs of forest birds, an experience of intense and unforgettable life.
• They teach you a lot about nature, about Malagasy culture, but also about the environmental and societal challenges of developing countries, as well as about the daily life of a conservation association.
• They allow rich encounters and open the door to very strong friendships.
• They can be part of an end of study internship if you are a student.
• They can be funded by donors (see Crowdfunding).

Or because you’re fed up with living outside the law ;-) Indeed, the charter of the environment in the French Constitution declares that the environment is the common heritage of humankind and that "everyone has a duty to take part in preserving and improving [it]".

Our missions allow to make a "useful journey 'since 2012, ecovolunteers missions leads Naturevolution helped finance a significant portion of our conservation activities and assistance to communities Makay

Where do we work ?

Since 2010, Naturevolution works in the Makay massif in the southwest of Madagascar.

How we work

Our projects in the Makay aim at protecting on the long term the natural environment of the Makay and developing ways for local people live better and in harmony with their environment. Some projects are carried out in the heart of the massif while others take place in the surrounding villages, a few hours' walk from the Makay canyons.

We offer 3 types of ecovolunteers missions, different times of the year :

• Solidarity and support to local development
  These missions focus on environmental awareness, education, income-generating activities such as beekeeping (hive construction) and ecotourism, the creation of vegetable gardens and nurseries, waste cleaning, etc. These missions take place in or near villages. Learn more about our solidarity missions with local development.

• citizen science
  These missions are designed to carry, with researchers tracking operations or inventory the biodiversity of Makay, to assist researchers in their work and even carry out archaeological surveys or improve mapping Makay. These missions take place from a fixed base camp established in the massif. Learn more about our citizen science missions.

• scientific exploration
  These missions are designed to search for missing cash or rarely observed, as well as an inventory of archaeological sites in the Makay. They take place when roaming in the mountains and we also improve our knowledge of the massive remote places and to keep a watch. Learn more about our scientific exploration missions.

"In all our missions, about two thirds of your time in the field will be devoted to projects. The rest will be dedicated to the discovery of the still largely unexplored paradise of Makay when trekking accompanied by our specialists "

To note :

• The list of the projects we will work on is only decided 2 months before a given mission, as it depends on both the priorities and urgent needs at the time of the mission, and on the numbers of volunteers registered.
• Naturevolution retains the right to change the order and the list of actions to take place during the missions until the day of departure to accommodate local needs and unforeseen events.

How do we live on the ground?

• We camp under individual tents
• Volunteer work is done usually outdoor (or, in case of rain, which is extremely rare at this season, under large expedition tents brought by Naturevolution)
• We eat supplies brought from Tana (the capital city), supplemented by local products brought by the villagers (depending on the season : mangoes, bananas, tomatoes, muttons, turkeys, chickens, guinea fowls, bushpigs, etc.). We prepare meals and do dishes all together,
• We drink water from the rivers : the water comes straight out of the rocks, and we either filter it or boil it,
• A few beers and soft drinks can be found in the villages,
• Dry toilets and showers are set up in the forest.

"This life in the midst of nature is fairly comfortable and more importantly, a wellspring of friendships with a healthy dose of fun"

Who are the ecovolunteers?

We welcome all applications, regardless of age (starting from 18, or less if parents are present), skills or nationality, without any discrimination.

"Enthusiasm and motivation are all that matter."

No scientific background nor any diploma is required.

If you are a student, you can make your participation in our missions count as a required internship.

Some activities require a good physical condition, others call for being creative, and some ask for educational skills. Let us know your skills and your wishes and we'll do our best to offer activities that match.

The only requirements are that you are:

• examined by a doctor before departure to ensure good physical condition
• able to speak French or English
• smiling and easy to live with

How long are the missions?

Our missions last of 2 to 6 weeks depending on the season.

This time is considered from Paris to Paris. Your presence on Malagasy soil will be respectively 13 days to travel 2 weeks, 20 days for travel 3 weeks or even 41 days for travel 6 weeks.

Be aware also that the lavish travel between the capital Antananarivo and the steep Makay can take only four days return when we go in northern Makay seasonally dry but can last much longer because of the runway conditions and the distance of the proposed work site. We prefer of course the shortest paths for the 2-week missions.

“Almost everything was new to me. Too many positive aspects to list them all, but among others the exceptional and preserved environment of human pollution, and the learning of resourcefulness. "
– Ecovolunteer testimony, avril 2019 (mission explo)

Mission dates

Retrouvez un descriptif des différents types de mission dans le paragraphe How we work and a detailed description of the tasks on the corresponding pages: Support to local development ; Participatory science ; scientific exploration.

Vous trouverez ci-dessous les dates pour chaque type de mission. Vous pouvez utiliser les filtres à disposition pour affiner votre recherche (chercher par exemple ‘août’ ou ‘novembre 2020’).

A noter:

• The departures of our missions are guaranteed from 4 participants.
• Il est possible de participer à une combinaison de missions différentes et de découvrir ainsi différents volets de nos activités. Pour en savoir plus, merci de nous contacter via le formulaire ci-dessous.
• Les dates des missions ultérieures seront proposées dans le courant de l’été 2020.

Inspired? Get in touch! !

Mission prices

A noter:

• If you sign up for 2, rates are reduced by 8%, and 12% from 3 persons (except for already reduced prices).

Distribution of the trip cost

Tax exemption

The full cost of your mission, including airfare, is défiscalisable up to 66% for an individual of 75% if you are subject to the IFI and 60% for companies.
All tax exemption information can be found in the ‘other questions’ section below.

Crowdfunding

Dreaming but broke? Consider crowdfunding!
We offer a dedicated crowdfunding platform and personalized coaching to help raise the necessary funds to your surroundings, your networks or organizing fundraising events (craft sales, projections, etc.). To learn more, visit this link: Crowdfunding

Other questions

How do I register?

If you are interested in one of our ecovolunteers missions, thank you to complete the pre-registration form below. We will come back to you as soon as possible to explain you how our missions usually take place, give you the details on how to proceed before departure, a list of equipment to bring with you and give you all the details to benefit from tax exemption.

One more question ?

GAËTAN DELTOUR
Chargé de mission écovolontariat
Whatsapp +33 7 86 84 78 23
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