MANILA, Philippines – Innovate to create inclusive wealth.

Almost one year after Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan), entrepreneurs, community organizers, experts and officials from the Philippines and other countries gather for a summit aimed at identifying areas of convergence for social innovators and entrepreneurs.

For Gawad Kalinga (GK) Founder Tony Meloto, the fresh start is an opportunity not only to build back better, but also to build places of convergence for social innovators and entrepreneurs. 

“We want the brightest students from top universities in the city working with the bright poor in the countryside, and the goal is to really address the two major reasons why we cannot achieve prosperity: loss of our human capital due to poverty…and the abandonment of land,” Gawad Kalinga founder Tony Meloto told Rappler on Tuesday, September 30.

This is the context of GK’s 2nd Social Business Summit happening from Thursday to Saturday, October 2 to 4, in Angat, Bulacan, with the theme “Economic Innovation for Inclusive Wealth Creation.” (READ: #TalkThursday: Building homes and nation-building after Haiyan)

Meloto said Leyte, one of the provinces badly hit by Yolanda, is rich in both land and human capital – perfect for creating more social entrepreneurs and building sustainable communities.

“This summit will have the Haiyan drama as backdrop, for us to talk about sustainability issues in the intentional communities that we will build as well as the recurring concern about climate change vulnerability, food insecurity and extreme poverty,” a GK statement read. 

If last year’s summit “affirmed the growth of social entrepreneurship,” this year is about creating the platform of convergence and the “walang iwanan” (no man left behind) economy. (READ: Social entrepreneurs and farmers for social change)

“[This year], we expect more changemakers…to see that there are a lot of opportunities. We only have to see [that it is] Filipinos themselves working together that can attract foreign investors to our country,” Meloto said.

He added: “We bring the expertise, capital, and excellence of the rich to bring out the potential for excellence of the poor.”

The summit will also talk about the need for social entrepreneurs to help bridge the wide social gap. A new generation of inclusive wealth creators should develop human and natural resources in the countryside to mitigate urban migration.

Speakers at the 3-day summit include government officials, some of the country’s most successful social entrepreneurs, and key persons from the sectors of business and academe.

For more information about the 2nd Social Business Summit, please contact the Summit Head Ms. Cherrie D. Atilano at 0917-550-0489 or Jerick Limoanco at 0917-564-5545 or email at sbsummit@gkenchantedfarm.com. – Rappler.com