Meet Our London Team

Mark Jacobs

Managing Director

Mark Jacobs, a qualified research ecologist, first went to Madagascar in 1998, leading a multi-disciplinary team of biologists to study the flora and fauna of the forests of the southeast. He quickly fell in love with the island and in 1999, on return to the UK, started to work with Azafady developing the Project Lokaro initiative. In 2000 he became Managing Director of Azafady UK and has worked since then with the Azafady board of trustees to ensure the smooth running of all aspects of the organisation. Overseeing the fundraising and marketing efforts, the volunteer programmes and the ongoing administration and development of the organisation, Mark ensures effective communication and general coordination between the trustees, Azafady UK staff and Azafady NGO Madagascar.

Mal Mitchell

Education and Fundraising Coordinator, UK

Mal Mitchell has pursued diverse paradigms of development, exploring educational and lifestyle alternatives, and working with nonprofit bodies in different roles.  He has counselled people with mental health problems, campaigned on rights, welfare and environmental issues, and written multivalent "The Hog's Wholey Wash". Mal has been working with Azafady on fundraising, networking and educational outreach since 2000. He works with staff and volunteers on proposals, reports and other communications, maintaining links with funding organisations as well as researchers, NGOs and other bodies. Parallel to activities with Azafady, he continues with independent writing, campaigning and associated research, with a key focus on psychological and cultural dynamics.

Joe Jenkinson

International Volunteer Coordinator

Azafady has been a regular feature in Joe's life since he joined the Pioneer programme in 2006. His time on Pioneer opened his eyes to the world, reinforcing his understanding of what uneven development looks like in reality. After falling in love with Madagascar, Joe returned in 2008 as a conservation research specialist with Azafady, using his research on the critically endangered palm, Dypsis saintelucei to write his Undergraduate dissertation for his BSc in Physical Geography from the University of Southampton. His dissertation won the Alfred Steers Dissertation Prize from the Royal Geographical Society for the Best Dissertation from a UK University Geography department in 2009. Since graduating from University, Joe undertook an 8 month campaigns internship with Tourism Concern, focussing on human rights and tourism and more ethical forms of travel, before securing his current position with Azafady in the UK. He is currently studying Chinese and is interested in China's growing influence in Africa.