The founder of Against Malaria Foundation (AMF) shares the ways in which motivation provides maximal impact. Attend in person or online.

The Against Malaria Foundation (AMF) has been described as ‘the world’s most cost-effective, impactful charity.’ As a charity, it is very different from others in many ways, due to its unswerving focus on preventing deaths and illness from malaria. This guest lecture will cover what AMF does, how it is done, and the ways in which the motivation (addressing malaria) can be translated into maximal impact. It will address ways in which AMF strives to make the most effective use of every donation, with a particular focus on the behavioural science aspects of their work. This lecture is part of the Behavioural Science and Complex Interventions module on the MSc in Translational Health Sciences (https://lifelong-learning.ox.ac.uk/courses/msc-in-translational-health-sciences/), and discussion will focus on challenges inherent in the AMF model and themes relevant to Behavioural Science.

If you wish to attend the talk online, please contact ths@conted.ox.ac.uk.

Rob Mather, Founder and CEO of AMF was inspired to found the charity in 2004 by a previous charity effort, a three person fundraising swim for a burn victim, which 'accidently' developed into 150 swims in 75 countries involving 10,000 people and raised sufficient funds to secure the future for this child.

He scaled up this model, starting AMF with a worldwide swim which grew to involve 250,000 people in 130 countries. AMF has raised more than US$1.1 billion, funding 470 million anti-mosquito bed nets to protect 850 million people in 35 countries and is now a team of 18 people. Currently, (and for the past 18 years) AMF is a top ranked charity in the US, the UK and Australia. No other organisation has been top ranked globally in this way.

In terms of impact, these nets can be expected to have prevented 400,000 deaths, averted 300 million cases of malaria and improved local economies by more than US$13 billion (12x the donation amount). When people are ill, they cannot farm, drive, teach - function, so the improvement in health leads to economic as well as humanitarian benefits.

Rob was awarded an MBE by Her Majesty The Queen in the 2021 New Year's Honours list for services to medicine and charity. He lives in London with his wife and their four children.

Description supplied by the event organiser.