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Gawad Kalinga, 2012 Skoll Foundation Awardee worth $1M

GK USA

November 29, 2011

GK USA Announces

Skoll Foundation: 2012 Skoll Award goes to Gawad Kalinga

Palo Alto, CA - November 29, 2011 - The Skoll Foundation today announced the 2012 Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship with Gawad Kalinga (GK) as one of four recipients. "Gawad Kalinga brings new perspective to our growing portfolio of social entrepreneurs tackling poverty," said Sally Osberg, President and CEO of the Skoll Foundation.

"With their deliberate focus on values formation and partnership, Tony Meloto, Luis Oquiñena and their team have transformed large swathes of the Philippines. And they've successfully replicated the model in urban and rural environments, at half the cost of alternative interventions. We are delighted to welcome Gawad Kalinga to our Skoll community of social entrepreneurs."

"Looking at our winners, we are humbled. Our goal is impact - these are the people pulling it off."

"All are pioneering new grassroots mechanisms that unleash the power of citizen-driven change, a hallmark of true social entrepreneurship." - Sally Osberg, President and CEO, Skoll Foundation

Note: The Skoll Award provides a three-year core operating support grant to extend the recipient's already impressive reach. In GK's case, the organization will be receiving $1M in grant support spread over the next three years.

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Congratulations to the countless GK heroes - The Skoll Foundation Award, An Affirmation

Tony Meloto (file photo)

"The Skoll Award is an affirmation of hope-builders and poverty-busters. The challenge before us is to scale to reach more communities in desperate need. We see a great opportunity, now, to bring our model to many parts of the world where the debilitating effects of poverty hamper the progress of nations and burden their people." - Tony Meloto, GK Chairman

Luis Oquiñena (file photo)

"This is timely for the celebration of our country's National Heroes Day. We salute the modern day heroes: our GK caretaker teams, GK management teams and the GK heads for all their quiet and often unheralded work - it is their commitment to the poor that has brought GK the recognition of global institutions such as Skoll. We want to also honor our kapitbahayans who are the cornerstone and building block of the dream for a world without poverty. The Skoll award will enable us to empower more volunteers and institutions to help end poverty the GK way." - Luis Oquiñena, GK Executive Director

"Sometimes last year, I sent a message of thank you, for your kindness and generosity, despite doubts and criticisms provoked by occasional amateurish performance from third world brothers and sisters. Your courage in persevering with a magnificent work, undoubtedly from a faith deeper than most can understand and a love for our poor that few can measure, has contributed powerfully not only to rekindling the hopes of tens of millions of marginalized Filipinos but also to keeping GK workers and volunteers encouraged to stay the course.

I know some may have thought that I was only trying to ease the frustrations of the

Jose Ma. Montelibano (file photo)

moment, and I admit that I also wanted to do that. But primarily, it was to share a miracle unfolding before my eyes - the miracle of ordinary Filipinos filled with extraordinary conviction to pursue the impossible dream of liberating tens of millions from a horrible pattern of deprivation. By now, the evidence that achievement of ordinary Filipinos is more obvious and still growing. The Skoll Award, as the Ramon Magsaysay Award, plus all the other awards too many to mention and those yet to come, are all affirmation that goodness and all who share them shall be blessed.

We are blessed." - Jose Ma. Montelibano, GK Special Projects