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THE AFRICAN IMPACT WAY

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Meet the team

We are incredibly lucky to have an amazing team of people behind African Impact, most who started as volunteers and have been on this journey since the beginning. This is our strength and what has allowed us, over the years, to go beyond volunteering, to focus on what it does best; provide an exchange of ideas and mindsets. We’ve learned that if a community has total buy-in and ownership of a project – and a volunteer is truly informed about their own role and contribution to this – volunteering has the power to transform both a community and a volunteer. That is a beautiful thing and what we witness every day on our projects.

3 questions to get to know us better

Favourite destination in Africa and why?

Best African travel memory?

Bucket list destination and experience?

Greg

Managing Director

  • Victoria Falls, Zambia. I was lucky enough to call it home in the early years of African Impact and every time I go back, not only do I get to see the falls and the incredible wildlife of the area, but I get to see 15 years of African impact we have made - school buildings, clinics and meeting people who now are in work because of the volunteer projects we run. I also get to meet old friends.
  • My gosh so many... When I was 18 I backpacked from Ethiopia to Cape Town. That trip not only allowed me to see some of the highlights of Africa; Serengeti, Gorillas, Zanzibar, Victoria Falls, Okavango Delta, Lake Kariba, to name a few, but it was the first time traveling on my own. I had to overcome Malaria, losing a passport and many vehicle breakdowns, but this trip was the catalyst to starting African Impact.
  • I really would like to visit Zakouma National Park in Chad. I’ve heard so much about it, it sounds like no place I have visited in Africa and a real success story of conservation. The other is to learn more about, and visit, the Hadza people of Tanzania.

ANDREW

Operations Director

  • Kwa-Zulu Natal as it encapsulates all that Africa has to offer: stunning wildlife experiences in the bush, beaches and surf to play in, a mountain range that takes the breath away, so much history and of course just wonderful people from many different backgrounds. The fact this was our home for 3 years, where our son was born and the start of our life in Africa is a big factor too!
  • The morning that Michelle & I sat on a deck, looking out over the wild African bush, watching Elephants strolling through the low trees. It was the time we decided that, after travelling around the Southern Hemisphere for 9 months, Africa was where we knew we should be. (Being the Beer Pong Champion in Livingstone comes second mind!)
  • There are just too many! I am so pleased our two kids love to travel and see new things, I want to help them to find their true path through experiencing nature, travelling as much as possible and meeting new people. Oh and Antarctica to tick off the final Continent!

Jono

Financial Director & Partners

  • Mozambique, after the war and majority of people abandoning the country, there are massive amounts of untouched beaches and very limited commercialisation of the remote areas such as Tofo Beach and Inhambane. A pure luxury for authentic and remote travel these days and very much still an unexplored travel destination for the youth market.
  • When I was younger my parents had a caravan and the African Bush was our home away from home, so every holiday we spent either in Hluhluwe/Imfolozi Game Reserve or the Kruger National Park. I have loved elephants ever since I was first able to recognise it myself from the story books my mum used to read to me. One day the unthinkable happened, it was close to the gate closing time in the northern part of HluHluwe and we were in a rush to get to the gate and ended up driving straight into the biggest herd of elephant the park had at the time, with a ravine on one side and cliff on the other, the elephants were using the road to make their way through the bush. We had to park the car, turn off the engine and pray that an elephant won’t find us as a tasty snack, we contacted the rangers to let them know we were stuck and couldn’t get out so we won’t make the gate closing time and the rangers response was “sorry sir, be careful, our elephants are in Musth” – wow, how comforting right? At the time, the park was suffering from some very young and aggressive elephants causing chaos and they were within this big herd facing us head on down this road. Long story short, after a few trunks sniffed our car and big grey legs slowly passed the car, we came out alive and live to tell the tale of how we faced the elephants head on! Literally!
  • Spending time conserving animals in Patagonia.

Cindy

Internship and Volunteer Placement Manager

  • Mozambique – you will understand when you are there.
  • I cannot possibly pick one. Each trip or experience has its golden moments.
  • Victoria Falls so I can Bungee Jump, Bridge Swing and Zipwire across the gorge all on the same day!

Karissa

Partners Manager

  • Definitely have to choose Zanzibar. The locals are super friendly and welcoming. They have some of the best seafood I’ve ever tasted and an endless amount of beautiful beaches to choose from - plus the water is like being in a warm bath!
  • There are many but one that comes to mind is deciding last minute to visit Malawi – the warm heart of Africa! The only part of the trip that was planned was our first night in Lilongwe. As one does, we met some people in a local bar who had been to Nkata Bay on Lake Malawi and said it’s a must see so off we went the next day in a local public bus that stopped about 100 times before we reached our destination. We stayed at a great spot on Lake Malawi for a few days before heading up to Nyika Plateau in the Northern part of the country where we camped for a few nights. Returning to Nkata Bay we hitched a ride on the back of a bakkie travelling along the scenic lakeshore road back to Lilongwe for our flight home. It was incredible!
  • I’d absolutely love to visit Kenya during the great wildebeest migration.

Bernelle

Destination Specialist

  • Of the places I have been most definitely Kenya and Tanzania – I cannot narrow it down more. I spent 3 weeks doing the northern safari circuit of Tanzania before hopping a flight over to Kenya. The only way to describe it is MAGICAL! The warm and welcoming people, incredible landscapes, and magnificent wildlife – I loved every minute of it.
  • There are many but one that comes to mind is deciding last minute to visit Malawi – the warm heart of Africa! The only part of the trip that was planned was our first night in Lilongwe. As one does, we met some people in a local bar who had been to Nkata Bay on Lake Malawi and said it’s a must see so off we went the next day in a local public bus that stopped about 100 times before we reached our destination. We stayed at a great spot on Lake Malawi for a few days before heading up to Nyika Plateau in the Northern part of the country where we camped for a few nights. Returning to Nkata Bay we hitched a ride on the back of a bakkie travelling along the scenic lakeshore road back to Lilongwe for our flight home. It was incredible!
  • There is still so much I want to see but renting a Van (see comfortable Winnebago) and travelling along the coast of Mexico spending long lazy days on the beach and eating delicious Mexican food is high on my list of things I want to do.

Memory

Project Coordinator

  • Walvis Bay Dolphin Cruise and Bird-watching
  • Cape Town South Africa, the best experience was flying it was my first time getting into a plane and I had a lot of expectations that people told me the first time in the plane you have to vomit 😊 but I didn’t.
  • Zanzibar

Pippa

Marketing Manager

  • My favourite destination in Africa is the Transkei or Wild Coast. I love that it is so remote and untouched. The beaches stretch for miles and miles next to rolling green hills and rock cliffs.
  • A trip to the Transkei I did 2 years ago, surfing with dolphins, eating fresh fish and crayfish, and long trail runs along the beaches and headlands.
  • A year-long roadtrip in a van visiting as many African countries and cities as possible to experience all the different activities, cultures, food, animals and people that make up this diverse continent.

Stacey

General Manager

  • Tanzania – The people are so friendly and kind. I love their sense of community and welcoming nature.
  • Backpacking through the Kenyan desert on foot for 2 weeks, with a camel carrying my backpack, coming across nomad villages, and experiencing their unbelievable generosity and hospitality.
  • Madagascar with its unique landscapes and animals.

Stuart

General Manager

  • So far in my travels Zanzibar. Incredible people, culture, food, music, beaches, all round incredible place to be!
  • What comes to mind is swimming with whale sharks in Mozambique, breath-taking experience! Oh, and the prawns, mountains of delicious fresh prawns.
  • I want to drive from Cape Town to Scotland (my original home) with Stacey to see and experience as much of Africa as possible.

Thulani

Project Coordinator

  • My favourite destination in Africa is Western Cape because it provides unique scenery and experiences across the province. It has Cape Town with two oceans, mountains, Robben Island, Stellenbosch vineyards and sightseeing that can compare with the most beautiful cities in the world. The rest of the province provides an opportunity for adventure and enjoying nature.
  • My favourite African trip is when I drive through the garden route to visit my family in the Eastern Cape. I have great memories with family members on the stops we make on our way and it also allows me to enjoy the village rural life in South Africa.
  • I would love to visit Victoria Falls and Bungee jump.

Felicity

Destination Specialist

  • Zimbabwe! My African home and a country that overturns many misconceptions. A wildlife haven, with some of the most beautiful landscapes you will ever see. It’s a see it to believe it kind of place!
  • Definitely a tough one between my first (of many) visits to Victoria Falls and being in Zanzibar. Vic Falls is simply magic! Not only are the falls themselves awe-inspiring and unforgettable, but the bustling town and variety of activities on offer. Without a doubt, the sunset cruise on the Zambezi River was a stand-out highlight, as was lying over the edge of the Falls, in Devils Pool on the Zambian side. Zanzibar is pure paradise, crystal blue waters and white sandy beaches, with stunning marine life. Snorkelling there was unbelievable.
  • Maasai Mara and the Kenyan Coast, both incredibly iconic locations in different ways. My dream experience would balloon safari over the Maasai Mara and to witness the Great Migration, labelled the Greatest Wildlife Show on the Planet!