Brian Mathew

http://www.libdems.org.uk/brian_mathew

Brian Mathew
North Wiltshire

Aid Worker and Liberal Democrat Brian Mathew has spent much of the last 25 years living and working in some of the poorest, most challenging and some would say most interesting parts of the World. His last assignment was with World Vision in East Timor, where he was working as the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) adviser, helping remote rural communities to build and maintain WASH systems to transform their lives. While being there, he took part in the ‘Tour de Timor’, a 600km UN supported mountain bike race around the island with the slogan ‘Peace begins with me’.

In Africa, Brian’s postings have included: Zambia, Angola, Sudan, and Tanzania, where he spent a number of years as Country Representative for WaterAid, helping to initiate the WAMMA programme, and doubled as Honorary Consul in the up-country Capital City of Dodoma. Whilst on home leave, he helped to set up links with the Glastonbury Festival, which has since blossomed into one of WaterAid's most important and inspiring fundraising events.

After joining the British Aid Programme DFID in Dar es Salaam, he travelled to Zimbabwe where he was posted as an advisor. He returned to Zimbabwe with CARE during the recent cholera epidemic, which infected over 100,000 people and claimed more than four thousand lives. Other assignments have included: Mozambique, Guinea Bissau, and Ethiopia. He has also worked with communities in Central and South America. In 2005 Brian qualified with a PhD in water and sanitation from Cranfield University.

In 2010 Brian stood against Liam Fox in North Somerset, increasing the Lib Dem vote by 33% to 20,687.

Recently Brian has been involved in the UK promoting the 'REEF', the green version of the Severn Barrage.

Brian lives in North Wiltshire where he will be standing for Parliament at the next General Election.