INSPIRED by Australia’s compassion and welfare for its poor, Filipino anti-poverty crusader Tony Meloto will be speaking in Canberra in late May as part of his nationwide “Builder of Dreams” tour.

Meloto, voted the most trusted man in the Philippines by “Reader’s Digest” in 2010, will address the issues of social entrepreneurship and volunteerism.

Australia played a pivotal role in the establishment of the growing Philippines-based anti-poverty movement, Gawad Kalinga, which in the Filipino language means ‘to give care’, says Sally Barber, the movement’s state co-ordinator for the ACT.

“As a missionary to Australia in the mid ‘80s Meloto was deeply inspired by Australia’s compassion and welfare provisions for the poor,” she says.

“In 1995 he started a youth-development program for gang members in a Manila shanty area. The program evolved in to a globally recognised movement that builds integrated, holistic and sustainable communities for impoverished families.

“Apart from building more than 2000 GK villages (and growing), providing livelihoods for its beneficiaries and ever increasing disaster relief and recovery programs – Gawad Kalinga is also now involved in social enterprise, farming, social tourism and education.”

Sally says GK’s greatest strength is its “army” of volunteers. In 2014 more than a million people (including many Australians) volunteered for its annual Bayani Challenge donating time to work in Gawad Kalinga-designated areas across the Philippines.

Gawad Kalinga is also partnering with multinational companies and governments agencies. In 2013 the Australian Government, through AusAID, provided Gawad Kalinga with funding to build a GK village in Leyte after Typhoon Yolanda had devastated the area.

GK has been active in Canberra since 2003.

Tony Meloto will speak at 25 Forster Street,Yarralumla, 10.30am, on Friday, May 29. More information from Sally Barber on 0401 369558 or George Lemon, 0411 062682.