Family Memorial Trust funds 22 Malagasy conservation professionals to gain specialist training from Durrell
Since 2015, the Alison Jolly Memorial Trust and the Jolly family have funded 22 conservation professionals to receive endangered species recovery training from Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust.
The Alison Jolly Scholarship Fund was established in 2014 in memory of the late Dr Alison Jolly (1937-2014), an inspirational primatologist, conservation campaigner, and a great friend and supporter of Durrell. Alison Jolly was the first person to undertake systematic field studies of lemur behaviour, showing, among many other things, that female dominance exists in lemurs.
The fund was established with generous support from the Jolly Family and additional private individuals. The original intention was to provide a yearly scholarship for one student from Madagascar to undergo fully-funded training in endangered species recovery. However, thanks to the funding raised, two scholarships have been offered each year since 2015.
Between 2015 and 2017, scholarships were awarded to Malagasy participants taking the Durrell Endangered Species Recovery PGDip course based in Mauritius. Since 2019, scholarships have been given to Malagasy participants taking the Durrell Endangered Species Management graduate certificate (DESMAN) course held in Jersey at the Durrell Conservation Academy.
An alumnus of the DESMAN Spring 2022 course, Hoby Ambinintsoa Rasoanaivo, is the Operations Manager at Lemur Love, a conservation non-governmental organisation working to protect Madagascar's lemurs and support local communities.
Having benefited from the Alison Jolly Scholarship Fund, Hoby said: "Taking part in the DESMAN course was a fantastic opportunity. Coming from a background outside of formal conservation studies, I gained a deeper understanding of how conservation really works on the ground. The course gave me the skills to plan more strategically, especially through using the conservation standards and Miradi, project management software for conservation practitioners. The leadership module helped me reflect on my strengths and where I can grow, especially in how I function. I still refer to my course notes regularly! Having an international certificate also strengthened my scholarship application to pursue a master's degree in the UK."
Felana Rafetrason is a current DESMAN Spring 2025 scholar and Project Officer at Durrell. Her role involves designing training models and delivering training to various stakeholders we work with in Madagascar, such as local communities, conservation professionals, and projected area managers. She has been studying at the Durrell Conservation Academy in Jersey for the last few months.
"If I had to pick just one thing I've learned on the DESMAN course that I think is the most useful, I would choose the leadership module because it was an opportunity for me to reflect on myself and to see what kind of leader I would like to be and to know what are the areas of improvement I need to cover to be a better leader," said Felana. "I would like to express my profound gratitude to the Alison Jolly Memorial Trust for supporting my participation in the DESMAN 2025 course and giving me access to this incredible opportunity. Now that I am well equipped with all the skills and knowledge I've learned, I am more than motivated to contribute to saving species from extinction. I am very proud to be part of Durrell."
From 2020, scholarship recipients also receive a fully funded place on Durrell's bespoke, 18-month Professional Development Programme. Participants initially attend the DESMAN course to gain a thorough background in species conservation and then start a series of additional online training courses, skills development training, mentoring and career support; each customised to their individual needs.
We are incredibly grateful to the Jolly Family for their generous ongoing support in funding these scholarships, which are also supported through the royalties from Alison's inspirational book 'Thank You, Madagascar'.