United Kingdom
Commonwealth Point of Light 53. Rob Mather
Rob Mather, representing The United Kingdom, is the CEO and founder of ‘Against Malaria Foundation’, an organisation playing an important role in the reduction of malaria cases and child mortality in developing countries by providing them with millions of malaria nets.
Rob and his team of 15 volunteers have raised over $158 million and distributed over 70 million nets, 25 million of which have been distributed across 15 Commonwealth nations. Named the most effective charity in the world by independent charity evaluator ‘GiveWell’ for the past 5 years, 100% of public donations are spent on buying and distributing mosquito nets as other costs are covered by donors who have arranged to donate for this specific purpose. Inspired by the Foundation’s goals, transparency and efficiency, nearly 530,000 people have donated to Rob’s cause.
The award for Rob was presented by HRH Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, on 16th April, the opening day of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre.
Watch Rob’s response to receiving his Commonwealth Points of Light award:
Rob said:
“It is an honour to have the work of the ‘Against Malaria Foundation (AMF)’ recognised in this way. Many people and organisations have supported ‘AMF’ in a voluntary capacity over many years and this recognition is of them also as ‘AMF’ would not have been able to contribute in the way it has without them.
“All of us at ‘AMF’ are passionate about contributing to the reduction and eventual elimination of malaria. My own motivation has been simple. My four children go to sleep at night where a mosquito bite would lead to an annoying itch. Many other people have children and family members for whom the consequences of a mosquito bite could be severe illness, or far worse, so we won’t stop working as a team and with many partners until that has been changed.”