The MAD (Make a Difference) Foundation helps people in some of the world’s poorest countries to help themselves, by working with them at a grassroots level to develop much needed community resources.

The MAD Foundation has funded over 300 community Projects, including 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 family houses and 20 fishing boats destroyed by the 2004 Tsunami, 13 Water tanks for schools, 8 playgrounds, 5 bridges, 5 storm-drains, 2 bakeries, 1 Fish farm and a guinea pig shed. We’ve also planted over 25,000 trees, dug and laid 25 miles of water pipeline, taught 85,000 lessons, coached 63,000 sports sessions, renovated 6 orphanages and a 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 communities in creating better opportunities and scope for further development. In addition to funding all building materials, on average for every volunteer we take out we also employ one local person at each Project location. This may be a skilled mason, carpenter, driver or a cook, and underpins our ‘Developing Together’ ethos.

Our charitable objective is:

'To advance education and aid in the relief of poverty in any part of the world'

We do this through a variety of means

Supporting and working as a project partner with indigenous communities and Non-Government Organisations.
Raising funds and distributing grants to appeals, including international emergency and disaster appeals, and projects that fit within our objectives.
Providing scholarships to children and young people from developing countries to assist them in furthering their education.
Providing business start up grants to individuals from indigenous communities.
Enabling under-privileged young people from the UK to ‘give and gain’ by working on a community project in the developing world.

The Mottey African Development, now MAD (Make a Difference) Foundation was established in 1999, by John Lawler following his experiences whilst living in Ghana. John was enstooled as a Ghanaian Chief, Torgbui Mottey I, for his contribution to the local community and he continues today to visit Ghana, raise awareness and funds for people living in poverty all over the world.

To date we have enabled community development projects in the following countries: Ghana, Togo, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Peru, Fiji, Thailand, Vietnam, India, South Africa, Trindad, Venezeula and Sri Lanka and we hope to expand our work into more countries in the near future.

MAD Foundation’s overall objective is to enable community development projects in Africa and throughout the developing world. At its core is the desire to assist with sustainable programmes, which are not funded from central government, aimed at improving the quality of life for impoverished indigenous communities with an emphasis on children, education and health.

How We Operate

The MAD Foundation is a registered charity (charity reg. no. 1111805) and is managed by a board of trustees, supported by a full-time manager / fundraiser (whose salary is covered by a key sponsor) and a variety of volunteer fundraisers.

Our trustees meet regularly to review proposed projects and funding applications ensuring that what funds we do have available go to assist those communities with the greatest need and where we can help make the biggest difference.

Every penny raised by the MAD Foundation goes directly to sustainable and beneficial development projects, all UK and Overseas running costs are absorbed by key sponsors and our trustees.

Our Partners and Supporters

The MAD Foundation works closely with key project partners and supporters ensuring that funds raised and the subsequent projects are optimised and monitored. By working with project partners we benefit from their expertise (many are specialists in their field). Many of the projects we support are brought to our attention by indigenous communities themselves with the assistance of our partners. It is of paramount importance to us that the indigenous communities we support receive the most benefit possible.

We have a long-standing and very successful relationship with our key supporter, Madventure International, that fundraises on our behalf and who covers our UK and USA HQ overheads. Madventure also provides essential volunteers to provide funds and labour to make some of the projects we support happen.

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