When looking for tutors for our students, ADL’s guiding philosophy is there’s no better person to teach than someone who’ve been there done that. For wildlife and conservation students, Manando Mvula is a sterling example of these qualities. He has not just the academic background having studied at both Christ Church University UK and Manchester Metropolitan University but the lived experience of having been to Africa and involved in conservation efforts hands on.

Mnando is a safari expedition leader and has a background in organizing conservation trips to Africa.  However, he’s not just showing off Lions and Elephants to rich tourists (and lets face it, there aren’t many low cost airlines flying out to Zambia and Kenya).

He is actively involved in efforts to involve the local communities and to properly conserve and manage the wildlife as a Senior Consultant for Tribal Voice Communications.  This organization works with local communities, NGO’s and conservation groups to make tourism work for the local people who live in the area.

Done properly, tourism can be a major force for good bringing in money that can fund development, education and increase the quality of life for residents living near these conservation areas.  As such Mnando works to advice local communities on strategies both to develop their communities and protect their precious wildlife using sustainable methods.

International Conservation Efforts

He is also an advisor for the charity Born Free, a conservation charity that works towards co-existence between humans and wildlife. Given the great disparity in numbers and weapons between us and the rest of the animal kingdom, it’s really essential that there are people advocating for the protection of native animals. As per their name, Born Free is especially focussed on trying to make sure wild animals can continue to exist in the wild.

One deeply unfortunate side industry that has cropped up alongside conservation is trophy hunting. This is when hunters, typically wealthy foreigners pay for permission to come to African animal reserves and shoot a particular animal, usually taking a trophy from their kill as a souvenir back home. The slaughter of helpless animals to appease the bloodlust of rich tourists is a thing that horrifies animal lovers in the west.  Such is the disgust that there are moves by the UK Government to ban the importation of trophies taken from animals killed abroad.

Nevertheless, the sad reality is that for many otherwise poor communities in Africa the Hunters are the only ones offering to pay. To say nothing about the temptation of even darker markets served by illicit poaching that threatens entire species with extinction. That is why it’s so important for individuals like Mnando and the groups he works with to help advise communities on alternative paths for development. Ones that aren’t marked by the unnecessary deaths of Earths scant remaining most majestic beasts.

A Helping Hand At Home

However it’s not only in distant Africa that Mnando’s efforts to make a difference have been felt.  Often based in Kent, UK, he is involved in several other charities and initiatives. He is a cofounder of Stop the Traffik, an organization in Kent that works to disrupt modern slavery and human trafficking into the UK.  This is done by raising awareness of the situation within Kent, rescuing victims of modern slavery and then supporting them back into independence.

He is also a volunteer mentor for the Kent Refugee Action Network. An organization that helps unaccompanied young refugees who have been forced to flee to the UK from violence abroad, helping them to assimilate into life here.

All of this of course is but the tip of Mnando’s life and experiences. Between his considerable expertise and boundless empathy we are proud to have him as a tutor for our students.