Leigh Mathews

Victoria

Victorian Young Australian of The Year

At just 23 years of age Leigh Mathews founded the Future Cambodia Fund, an organisation working with disadvantaged children and their families in Cambodia. Over the last four and a half years, she has worked seven days a week in her determination to help Cambodia’s poor and in a short time has made an enormous difference. Future Cambodia Fund now reaches thousands of people through its programs and is dedicated to empowering communities for positive change. Leigh has also worked in the fields of human rights, homelessness, disability and the protection of children from abuse.

Awarded the Victorian Young Australian of the Year Award for 2009 and an Australian Leadership Award 2009, Leigh is now working on innovative ideas to empower young Australians to take action and create positive change in their world. Leigh demonstrates that when you truly believe in what you are doing, you can achieve anything.