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MAD Foundation

The Mission - Global

The UN estimates that 100 million kids of primary-school age are not enrolled at school, and that 1 in 7 of the 6 billion people on the planet do not have the ability to read – shocking - we all need to do something and we can all be a part of the bigger picture to solve the problem.

Fact: Madventurer and the MAD (Make A Difference) Foundation through partnering with villages have built over 100 Schools and we need to build over 100 more across the developing world. We have also built clinics, and have built over 100 village toilets and many other community development projects that have helped advance education for 1000’s of kids and helped towards alleviating poverty. We are all about action and results.

Madventurer could match its current impact by building a further 100 Schools in the next 10 years, but it can never really grow beyond this as the volunteer travel market is saturated. Most of the projects we have built so far have happened through folk joining a Madventurer trip over the past 12 years, but this year we have a seen a surge in people just wanting to help out without the desire or the opportunity to travel.

With all the financial turmoil that is happening in our own country and elsewhere, I have seen people’s mindset change to focus on the desire to help others who are in a worse position and this is where the MAD Foundation is in a position to help both here and overseas.

The impact that the MAD Foundation can have if it is given the chance to grow using the network of past madventurers (currently over 3500 who have seen Projects first hand) is enormous.

Our goal is to help this global problem and make the biggest impact in helping’ to advance education and alleviate poverty anywhere in the world’ (MAD Foundation’s mission) and we need to set a bold target, which I think should be 1000 new Education and Health Projects in the next 5 years.

Having just returned back from Ghana and after visiting 30 communities that all need funding to make their Projects happen, I ask you all to do whatever you can, wherever you are and whenever you can, to get involved. One way we can do this is promote all Project Proposals into ‘Adopt a Project’ challenges that individuals, social groups and corporates can help sponsor and contribute to.

Since 1998 MAD has finished over 300 Community Projects. These include the building of…

128 classrooms, 80 toilet blocks and pit latrines, 12 pre-schools, 1 HIV clinic, 1 green house, 1 kitchen with a bread oven, 100 sinks and wash stations, 1 technical block, 8 permanent houses and 20 fishing boats destroyed by the 2004 Tsunami, 13 Water tanks, 8 playgrounds, 5 bridges, 5 chicken coops, 5 storm-drains, 2 bakeries,1 Fish farm and a guinea pig shed!

We’ve also…
Planted over 25000 trees, dug and laid 25 miles of water pipeline, taught 85,000 lessons, coached 63,000 sports sessions, renovated 6 orphanages a 1 home for street kids!

and we're still counting....
By enabling sustainable projects and facilities, focusing on key areas such as education, child welfare, primary healthcare, health education and employment skills, the MAD Foundation supports indigenous communities in creating better opportunities and scope for further development.

Every penny raised by the MAD Foundation directly benefits communities in the developing world, with all monies going directly to community projects for the purchase of building materials and equipment. All our running costs are absorbed by a small number of key partners and by our trustees. Madventurer staff also donate their time for free.

To date the MAD Foundation has helped build and renovate schools and pre-schools, built orphanages, clinics, workshops, water and sanitation systems, provided scholarships throughout Africa, South America, and South East Asia, life-changing projects which are not or can not be funded by government.

The MAD Foundation is constantly challenged by the need to raise funds to allow us to assist more communities in the developing world.

Without the support of donators, sponsors, supporters and volunteers our valuable work would not exist. Giving to charity can take many forms and whilst a monetary donation will always be most welcome there are other ways in which you can support us. Please help us to keep the developing world helping itself; in any way that you can.

Want to know more about the Foundation and what you can do overseas to help? Click here to view our projects. You can also pop in to the Madventurer office for a chat any day of the week. Find us in the Students Union on the lower ground floor (just around the corner from Subway) or visit our desk upstairs in the volunteering section!

Mad Chief

John Lawler