Here's some Madventurer Reviews and Feedback from travellers throughout the years.......

A Day in the Life - Ghana

Madventurer Feedback in Ghana - Sam Keam

 “I’m not sure which of the cliché images of lush jungles, empty beaches or smiling locals most drew me to Ghana last summer, in any case it succeeded on all counts and many more. It certainly has all the ingredients for an amazing trip: endless stunning corners of natural beauty and an incredibly hospitable people that will not let you leave until they have indelibly stamped their rich culture onto you, added to all this is an almost eerie lack of overseas visitors away from the big towns. 

"The area we visited in Southern Ghana last summer has sadly seen a major decline in its rural economy over the last two decades, the disused cocoa store, the drunks in the street and the distant buzzing of chainsaws in the forest all tell different sides of the same story. The collapse of a potentially profitable cocoa industry in the 80s has arguably resulted in this area becoming poorer and more isolated than at any other time since independence.

"When in Shia, we all had the option of engaging in a number of projects such as teaching in the village schools, building the new school and conservation work in the surrounding forest. On top of these planned projects we could help out with the cooking for the group, help the people in the village who were housing us on their farm to collect dinner, or focus on any other specific task that was of interest.

"The trip to Ghana last summer was a real eye opener, it convinced me to make a total u-turn and focus my dissertation on something related to the worrying situation in the developing world. Not an easy feat for someone who was planning to study mountain glaciers! I am now planning to go back to Shia to study the effects of the local agricultural co-operative on the income and social welfare of the local community. The initiative has been set up by one of the villagers, the idea is to generate income within the community from high-value tree crops such as mangoes and cashews that grow well within the local forest cover.

"I’m going to spend my days planting trees, drinking cheap cold beer, and getting very sweaty in the jungle, this coupled with the mind expanding properties of Lariam will no doubt lead to another summer of African madness! I just have to thank the university for my generous bursary!"

Madventurer Feedback in Ghana - Ben Keene

"No less than the chief executive for the Hohoe distict himself swept into the village last Tuesday to perform the all important 'sod cutting' (breaking the earth's crust) ceremony. With a babble of speeches and 'wessoes' (welcomes), and an extremely patient audience of school children, chickens, and market sellers waiting to return to their overcrowded pitch, the crust was eventually cut and with it the digging began in earnest.

"As beautiful and serene a spot as this part of West Africa is, it suffers an annual battering from the rain waters that pour off the mountains that surround it. Liati Wote's (named after the people who settled here 3 generations ago by climbing trees, walking backwards to deceive their tyrant, and finding fertile land) inhabitants suffer particularly as they are at the foot of some of the largest mountains in the area.

"Each year the erosion caused by the flood waters destroys many of the small homes on the East side of the village. The much needed flood drain is at last being dug- thanks to the fundraising efforts of the mad team and the community spirit that abounds here.

"The hope of a dryer, and less destructive environment is becoming closer to reality. The mad team's efforts to help dig in the heat has been fantastic, young white girls wielding spades and pick-axes are challenging the preconceptions of the local 'man work in field- woman work at home' mentality. Grease to the elbows- we dig on..."

Madventurer Feedback - Jamie Murphy in Ghana

"Half of the group decided to walk up Mount Afadjato. I reached the base and decided to turn back after persuading the group that I could find my way home (as there were only 3-5 minutes walk to the village, and besides there were only two other paths, both of which I had previously walked).

"When I reached the turning however, I realized that I didn't recognize a thing, as when I walked I had only looked to the ground to avoid roots and insects. But luckily after choosing a path (the correct path) I recognized a dead worm which I'd noticed earlier, and so I found my way back to the village (though I still didn't recognize the village and asked three villagers where Liati Wote was? To which I had some confused looks).

"So a dead worm saved me from certain death, or more likely a two hour wait for the group to return. I think I might go back and get him, or not!"

Jessica Watts, MAD Builder / Artist in Liati Wote Ghana

“Woke up to Sophie bouncing around next to my mat, after dressing in the same sweat ridden shorts as the day before I would stumble to breakfast- Milo begins kicking in. After a doxy session and sun cream applying we would troop to the area of drain excavation we were working on and find that by 9am the farmers had already managed to dig more than we would manage in 3 days, with the aid of apateshi. Taking in turns to dig we would make tennis player grunts and sweat pools into the dug trench.

I would start squeaking with delight when lunch arrived- BEANS!! After devouring a couple of bowls – don la oum kaka mama! I would nap until the trench called me back, then playtime with me new found 4 year old friends, after my jaw ached from all the laughing and squealing I would carry a couple back to their houses, parents look on questionably. Then I would wearily wander back to a refreshing river bucket shower next to a singing Welshman and a couple of spiders. A Star beer shandy and bond street cigarette await before dinner… ground nut soup with akblee, fried plantain and pineapple. I tended to wimp out on the bar trip as too tired so would crawl into my mosquito net and sheet by about 8 ready for tomorrow or a weekend of frolic and fun dancing and drumming."

A Day in the Life - Kenya

Madventurer Feedback and Review - Genevieve Radnan Kenya 2010

  "We woke up around 7.15am, got dressed and saw that breakfast was in the lounge room with plates and cups ready.  Breakfast included fruit, bread and sometimes eggs.  After this we had a bit more time getting ready for the day and doing usual daily routines of brushing teeth and going to the bathroom.  By around 8.20am we would all start the walk down to the school and would pass a shop to buy some supplies if needed.  When arriving at the school everyone would start building apart from those who had classes to teach.  At around 11am the ladies who cooked for us would come to the school and we had Chai time which was Chai tea and chapatti's yummy!  

"Everyone continued teaching and building up until 12.30pm where we would all come together and walk back to the house and have lunch and relax until 2pm.  We would then walk back to the school until 4pm and would pass the pub on the way home.  Arriving back to the house everyone would have a refreshing cold bucket shower and change into other warmer clothes.  Dinner would have been around 6.30-7pm and we would sit inside together.  Some nights we had a camp fire and would sit around singing songs.

"Building activities involved, shifting sand for the cement, painting the wood green, passing bricks up into the people on the scaffolding to lay on top of the other bricks, saw wood, use a nail to make holes in metal which is then used to bind two pieces of wood together and much more.  This is a day in the life as a Madventurer and its great!"  

Madventurer Review - Tara Dickinson Kenya 2010

"Wake up early to eat some breakfast and enjoy the surroundings as we walked to the school.  Once we got to the school we got stuck into whatever needed doing.  Then Chai time which was a welcome break.  Back to work before lunchtime where it was hard not to fall asleep and then back to the school for more work, maybe some volleyball, a drink at the bar and a great evening of relaxation and laughter."

Madventurer Feedback - Alison Wilson Kenya 2009

"Up at 7.30am for breakfast and them a 1 mile walk to the school.  Mainly paining in the morning (on a new classroom for the school) occasionally taking a P.E of creative art class.  Chiapatti time at 11am.  Them some more painting and sifting sand for the cement.  Home for lunch around 12.30pm keeping fit with the walking.  Lunch would be pasta and courgette.  Back to school smoe painting of the outside of the building.  All with the children chatting to you or giving you pen-friend letters.  Finishing around 4.30pm then heading home.  Basic wash with baby wipes or bucket shower.  Then dinner, we would play cards, chat, reach in the evening before bed."

Madventurer Feedback - Katherine Croft Kenya 2005

"I usually wake early, around 7am, when the rising sun breaks over the gorge and seeps into the small tin shack where the 12 members of our Madventurer team live. It is situated on a plateau on the outskirts of Hell's Gate National Park, so when I stumble out for a cup of tea, the first thing I see is the gorge and the park in the early morning light.

"Hell's Gate is quite small and individual in that it is the only National Park in Kenya that you can cycle or walk through. It is filled mainly with giraffes, zebras, various types of antelope, buffalo and warthog as well as hundreds of birds and bats. The only predators in the park are leopards, which are very shy, so it is perfectly safe.

"At this time of the morning a few of the Maasai from the community we are working with are usually milling about, as well as a few goats. Leonard, our resident Maasai master-chef will be working hard at our breakfast so I'll chill with our leader, Paul, before everyone else appears at about 8am.

"After breakfast we'll head to the work site, a ten minute walk down the valley. We're working on a primary school for the Maasai who live in Hell's Gate, which has involved building a toilet block, a veranda for the two classrooms, and other finishing touches like plastering, painting and glazing. The community is based around the Ol Ookarian Cultural Centre, five minutes away from the site. It is very remote and the closest school is 1 ½ hours walk away. The completion of this project will therefore be very significant for the children of the village.

"We'll work until 11am, when tea is served and we have a 20 minute break. Work continues until 1.30pm when we take a longer break for lunch. At this time of day it becomes very hot (the National Park was named Hell's Gate for a reason!) so we rest in the shade before continuing cementing or bricklaying. Knock-off time is 4:30pm, when we sometimes head down to the nearby hot springs or go on a game drive before dinner.

"The weekends provide an opportunity to explore the surrounding area; we have spent time at Lake Naivasha, in Nairobi and on the beaches of Mombasa. We have also spent one weekend in the 'Meat Camp' with the Maasai - a cave further down the gorge where the warriors train before going out to rustle cows from other tribes.

"One of our team is a Mad Medic, so I have spent a few days in Naivasha with him and another member of our group observing in the local hospital. This was an incredible experience - we even got to sit in on a caesarean section.

"After dinner we'll usually hang out by the fire, sometimes with a sample of the local tipple (nicknamed 'horrible'!) or a beer. Some Maasai are always about and never take too much persuading to perform a traditional song before we retire for a well-earned nights sleep."

Madventurer Feedback - Georgie Kenya 2005

"I went to Kenya in July 2005 comtemplating a dissertation in Dickens and a career in law. I came back writing a dissertation on East African literature and applying to be a secondary teacher. It was one of those delightfully cheesy-film-like moments when I, person who has never liked kids, stepped out of Standard 5's dusty classroom on a bright Langalanga morning and thought to myself, I'm going to be a teacher.

"So now, having been a teacher for 1.5 years, I'm also studying for MSc in development so I can get back to Africa asap and I've just come off the phone to Njima, the builder who I worked with out there. I'm visiting - fingers crossed - in August! Amazing people, AMAZING CHILDREN, the reason I'm doing what I do now."

Madventurer Review - Greg Clark, Likoni Orphanage Building Project

“Being tempted out from under my sanctuary within my mossy net by the smell of mandazi’s for breakfast was always a great way to start the day. A quick application of sun cream and then out into the searing heat of the Kenyan morning. The day always started with a small exchange of Swahili and hand shaking all around as we met our friends and work mates, the fundis. The plan for the day was discussed and we were soon knee deep in cement mixing, brick laying or opening the paint for the next mural. There was always different jobs available so everybody could find something to suit there own preferences or skills.

"Work usually lasted till about 12 before the heat became unbearable and we had to retreat for a delicious local specialty for lunch. Around two we would venture out again and continue working away with the guidance of the local builders. Often we were given the chance to be creative and start our own projects. This meant we might have been carving a large log into a chair or perhaps painting a world map on the wall. Finishing work somewhere between four o’clock and five we may have had a football match arranged against a local village team. This helped us to gain acceptance within the local village and allowed us to become good friends with the fundi’s who played in our team. After football it was home for another local speciality dinner often fish or beans with plenty of chapattis.

"Evenings were always very relaxed and sometimes included a couple of drinks at a local bar. After a hard days work the safe haven of my mossy net was always a welcome sight. What is the most important thing that you have learnt/experienced from your time on the project? Just experiencing the African way of life, often so simple but rather refreshing when compared to the stresses of the western world.”

Madventurer Feedback - Rupert Pate, MAD Builder

“"Not all endangered species in Kenya have four legs”. Michael Mugo and his two companions, Bob and Martin, are heading up a local Kenyan conservation initiative and myself and fourteen other Madventurers are here for five weeks to do what we can to help.

"Conservation is one of many activities that Madventurer gets involved with on its expeditions. This particular project involves working with ASACDOK, which is an abbreviation for the rather convoluted, Arid And Semi Arid Conservation And Development Organisation Of Kenya. Today is day one and Michael is explaining what we will attempt to achieve over the course of the next 5 weeks.

"One of ASACDOK’s major concerns is that the Sahara desert is moving south at 11kms per year turning what was fertile workable soil into infertile unworkable sand. This is happening mainly because of ignorance by the farmers as to how to use the land’s resources sustainably. Being ‘green’ is for the most part a philosophical luxury reached by societies living in relative financial wealth. In other words, conservation concerns normally only come to the fore in a environment where you are not worried by questions such as: where will my next meal come from? It is for this reason that indigenous developing world conservation organisations are rare. ASACDOK is different and so has attracted the attention and support of Madventurer.

"Education is key for ASACDOK and they set about doing this by establishing ‘conservation clubs’ in schools. Children at the school are then encouraged to join these clubs where they learn how to grow trees. Once the trees are mature they are sold by the clubs at the local markets at a cheap non-profit making price. The revenue raised is enough to buy more seeds, tools etc. making the clubs financially self-sufficient.

"ASACDOK careful chooses the species that it domesticates. Prunus Africana is a rare species that has been earmarked for domestication. The bark from this tree is a valuable remedy against a prostate disorder, called benign prostatic hyperplasia. Unfortunately Prunus is being harvested unsustainably at a staggering rate. According to research carried out by ICRAF under the current conditions, Prunus has 5-10 years at best before it is extinct. ASACDOK, with the help of Madventurer, is trying to raise awareness about this problem and slow the depletion rate down by growing the species in the school nurseries."

Madventurer Review - Ellie Hayden, MAD Builder

"My Mad life consisted entirely of building work. Well, almost. One day, not so very different from any other, I found myself stood in front of a class full of kids, armed with a textbook and red pen, expected to actually teach them something! Quite a shock, and I have to say that the kids were my best guide to what I was actually teaching them. Somehow I muddled through six lessons like this, with subjects ranging from Maths to Social Studies (and everything in between). I rather suspect that they knew more than me half the time, but no way would I let them know that!

"The school itself was really quite small, with only about 100 pupils in total, and supposedly three teachers, though at most we only saw two. My class, Standard 4 (eleven year olds) only had nine pupils in. Standard 5 (twelve year olds) had eight in, which was unusually low. Apparently the Government recently has had a drive to educate all children to primary school level - thus primary schools are generally flooded with kids.

"In general, the kids were quite shy in the classroom, and I struggled to get them to respond (especially to my 'different' teaching methods). However, as soon as they were given a football they got much more boisterous, and loved it when a friend took a photo on a digital camera and showed it to them.

"The curriculum was not as diverse, detailed or in depth as in England. It basically consisted of teaching out of a textbook, or copying from the board, which I found quite frustrating. I also found that even though all lessons were taught in English, the kids level of comprehension when it came to reading was very low - although spoken English was much better.

"Perhaps it's a sign of how much I've adjusted to life here, but something I found surprising was how close the main village was to the school. The Maasai are nomadic so I expected that the kids would have to walk a fair way to get there, but in recent years they have become less so. This makes it easier for tourists to find them, and tourists now contribute to Maasai income.

"All in all I found my day as a teacher to be quite an experience. The kids were lovely, staff really helpful and it all contributed to making it a positive experience."

A Day in the Life - Peru

Madventurer Feedback Chris Hamill, MAD Teacher and Builder, Cuzco, Peru, 2010

"In the summer of 2010, I embarked on a 6 week Madventure just outside Cuzco, Peru, in an orphanage for street kids. It was amazing; I could never have imagined the things I would see and do, and the memories and experiences I would take away. It felt really good trying to give something back, especially when I began to understand the reality of the abject poverty these kids, and thousands more like them across the world endure every day. This may be clichéd, but it really gave me perspective on my life, and forced me to stop and think about all I take for granted.

Our work focused on improving and maintaining the buildings of the orphanage, Azul Wasi. From fixing broken glass, to installing roof insulation, to painting a mural, we tried to do as much as possible to make the place that little bit better. It also meant that I found myself doing things I had never before considered, let alone tried. The work was hard sometimes, but the rewards at the end were well worth the effort. I met the most amazing people in Peru, and created firm and lasting friendships, both with my fellow volunteers, and with the locals, especially our cook, Yrene, and builder, Victor, both of whom could always be counted on for a quick smile and a bad joke.

I am really glad i chose to do my project with Madventurer, as right from the very first emails I sent, I got the sense of a small, friendly band of professionals, and this was only confirmed by my subsequent experiences. Support in the country was excellent, with local experience used to aid and plan what became a very tightly run operation (which is especially impressive in a country where deliveries and schedules can slip to the ever-present chorus of, “mañana”) At all times I felt like the project had clear direction, and there was always someone to help with any problem.

As for fundraising, I must admit how surprised I was at the generosity of the people back home. I organised three events; a coffee morning, a pub quiz, and a themed night in the local pub, and between these, I more or less covered the cost of the project, something I hadn’t predicted would happen at all. I found my local community association very helpful, especially because they were experienced in organising charitable events, and they were very easy to approach because I knew several of them personally.

So if you are realigning this and considering signing up to a project, all I can say is if you want to have an amazing, challenging and rewarding experience in an exotic location, making some amazing friends, and doing things you never even dreamed of before along the way, there are few, if any, better opportunities out there. So why not do it? Go MAD. I did, and I think it was the best thing I have ever done. I can proudly say I was, and always will be, a Madventurer."

Madventurer Review and Feedback Susie Chadborne, MAD Teacher, Llupa, Peru

“We would lazily get out of our bunks at about 8 in the morning, shiver to the bathroom and quickly eat our breakfast meal of bread and jam before walking up the rocky road in the morning heat to the project site, waving ‘hola’ to the villages on the way up.

"The group split into the ‘teachers’ and the ‘builders’ each morning and afternoon, respectively painting, playing games or teaching basic English to the school kids; or moving rocks, laying bricks and cement and trying to build a wall.

"The work was eased by the sunny weather and the daily snacks the teachers would feed to us in the playground, while the kids bothered the guys with endless games of football and the animals strolled past us on their way to the mountain fields.

"It was an idyllic setting and the work was challenging with the basic tools that the local builders were using. By the end of the day a pretty solid wall had formed where the ditch once was. The evenings were usually spent huddling together round the campfire playing scrabble and cards.”

Madventurer Review and Feedback Giles Dawnay, Mario Saolme FerroBuiling Project, Peru

"A day at Mario Salome Ferro, a boys orphanage in Cusco, started very early with us tumbling out of bed as the bell goes at 7am to groans and cries of, ‘it doesn’t matter that I’ve not washed in 4 days does it?’ We only felt very slightly guilty that the boys had been up for over an hour doing chores. Breakfast consisted of bread and coffee or lumpy porridge drink but was made almost gourmet by the addition of Fanny Jam. (Just in case you were worried Fanny doesn’t stop at just jam but makes many other delights including the speciality Fanny Fish!)

"Our main work at the orphanage was refurbishing an enormous games room and also three bathrooms, taking the initial three cold showers to ten hot ones – quite a feat for 12 non-plumbers! Despite looking quite solid the games room was actually like something from the middle ages, held together with a combination of mud and straw. Plastering a wall while balancing on dodgy scaffolding is so far removed from sitting at a computer in England and it feels amazing to be trusted with such a job, despite more of the plaster going on us than on the walls! Some Madventurers spent 5 weeks being white as a cloud. In the bathrooms you could get a bit more violent using the sledgehammer (carefully)! Towards the end of the project we were able to get more creative and painted a massive jungle mural on the wall, wrote out the astrology of the planets, and a speech by Mandela.

"America’s streets are meant to be paved with gold. Cusco’s streets are slightly different; namely urine! We once saw a woman in full Peruvian dress whip down her pants and have a quick wee on the side of the road, and whilst stopped at an infrequent red light a small boy banos-ed all over our taxi.  This aside, our new home of Cusco is an absolute delight, despite and in fact because of its quirks. It’s one of the friendliest and most beautiful towns in the world.

"Where else would you be able to hop into the boot of a taxi, squeezing 10 of you into a 5 person car and it still only costing you 2 soles (20p). Working back in England seems a lifetime ago as we are cast back in time to our 5 year old selves, participating in water fights with the local residents at carnival time. The psychologist at our orphanage told us that ‘to work with children you have to be a child’ so we’re just doing as we were told – some of us found this very easy!

"In South America things will always be done manana and normal rules like wearing hats when horse-riding are thrown out of the window. We will always remember the screams of Carlea as she rode up a rocky path on a horse too small for Barbie. Before we came to this country we heard a vicious rumour that they drove on the wrong side of the road to us Brits, however it appears there is no side and taxis, buses, llamas and cows seem to go at break neck speed taking a lucky dip and often beeping loudly when playing chicken with oncoming traffic.

"No where in the world have we felt more glamorous (even without a shower for 3 days) as people swarm around you pulling at your clothes and mysteriously knowing your name as they try to sell you anything from food to finger puppets. One way to avoid purchasing said finger puppets is to request a squirrel or a badger, so remember that when ‘no gracias’ no longer works."

A Day in the Life - Tanzania

Madventurer Feedback - Jen Pearce, Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, July 2003

“Woken up at six by cockerel and bleating goats outside my window! Got up, legged it outside, through the banana trees to go to the long drop (!) then waded back again (very muddy, always raining) to greet my Chagga father, Edwin, mother Edina and cool little bro Eliona - I say ‘Kum sam mbe’ to Edwin, ‘Kum sam my’ to Edina which means Good Morning in chagga, and in a very high voice(!) they would reply ‘haika monoko’ – thank you my child. Eliona would be dressed for school, and Edwin and Edina would have been seeing to the animals and doing general chores already…

"Edwin was also chairman of Mshiri so we frequently had hundreds of villagers visiting with their many problems for him to sort out! Breakfast was a family affair – we would all sit around to a feast of roast bananas (bananas featured regularly in meals – in many different forms!) and avocado – some of my friends in other houses got glamorous things like chapattis and eggs and bread… not in our house though, just hundreds of banananananas!

"Work at the school started at eight, I lived at the top of the village so would sprint down the hill (by the end of it, we knew pretty much everyone in the village which was lovely, so many people to stop and chat with) and compare breakfast stories with the others before embarking on our building!

"The workers at the school were so cool – Alan, Arnold, Reward, Mosha, Oneesa…Sefania (a very old man we affectionately called the Samiad, you know from Five Children and It, that childrens programme!) and we got sooo muddy by the end, shovelling cement, lugging it around, heaving boulders, slapping cement on the walls, repainting the boards, poles, etc. Such a good laugh though – it made us all appreciate the workers talent. The children were very funny, many of us had ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’ at the school so we were very much involved with them too.

"Lunch time was always disgusting – gristly meat, bananas, yum yum yum! We have photographic evidence of the fatty greasy food, ha ha! In the afternoons we would often go for walks – down to the waterfalls, over to the football field where all the lads went to play, sat in little sheds and got banana beer forced down us!

"And then it would be home to our various families – to ‘shower’ (I use the term loosely because it was just a bucket under a tree), to help in the kitchen (a fire and a pot) and to then have about hundred helpings of dinner – UGALI, is like PLAY DOUGH – my mother would watch my plate with eyes of a hawk and fill it up at any opportunity! Edina was a bit of a show-off in the singing and dancing area…after every dinner Eliona would drum and Edina would sing songs all night! These nightly performances became legendary round the village. I loved them!

"Bed was at eight thirty (nine o clock considered VERY late, what losers!) as we only had two oil lamps which would start to burn out. Early to bed, early to rise!”

A Day in the Life - Uganda

Madventurer Feedback - Rebecca Wraight, MAD Teacher, Jinja, Uganda

“With the sun having risen, the cock crowing, and the neighbourhood stirring, by 7:30 there was no alternative but to get up and start the day. One slice of bread and jam later I would walk the ten minutes to Kyabirwa primary School to the sound of “ow are you?” I’d spend my morning teaching English, History and games to classes of 75-220 children! Marking books at break and helping some pupils with their reading.

"A mug of sweet coconut tea and roasted cassava set us on until lunctime. If I was not teaching in the afternoon I’d collect the lunch of Chapatis, egg, and salad from Monica and catch a boda boda to the building site. Painting, digging, and the endless moving of rocks would fill the afternoons as we worked under the inquisitive eyes of the yellow uniformed children.

"At the end of the day a quick swim in the cool, refreshing river Nile would refresh all after a meal of beans, cabbage and potatoes there’d be a drink down at the local campsite by the Nile and then bed to the accompaniment of bats.”