Global Action on Poverty (GAP) accelerates the impact produced by a diverse set of committed, passionate individuals (“Changemakers”), who are tirelessly working to bring people out of poverty through a myriad of ways.
GAP provides these Changemakers a range of resources and capabilities through Partners to bring a step-up change in their initiative. Partners from different spheres such as Academia, Corporates, Foundations/charities, Impact Investors, Governments and others have joined hands with GAP to empower these Changemakers to make poverty history.
Prof Muhammad Yunus Noble Peace Prize Laureate
Paul Polman – CEO Unilever
Rakesh Sharma – The First Indian Astronaut
The Beginning
As an initiative of Head Held High Foundation, GAP’s journey started in 2014 when a few passionate people came together to design a collaborative space where actionable steps could be taken to eradicate poverty.
The conversations led to the launch of GAP in March 2015, at the Sabarmati Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad, India. The two-day event brought together 300+ individuals who pledged to wipe out poverty by working collaboratively.
More about GAP 2015
Evolution
We subsequently organized GAP 2016 at the same venue bringing together another set of 300+ individuals for a period of 4 days.
With these two events and continuing engagements with the Changemakers, GAP has had an exciting journey and has brought together Changemakers, Partners, Professional Coaches & Mentors to galvanize the leadership of Changemakers in India and around the globe.
More about GAP 2016
Over the last three years, we have learnt that a Changemaker not only needs resources & networks, but also needs to build his/her own capabilities to considerably increase the impact on a poor person’s life through their enterprise or initiative.
No one has an overall solution for poverty. But we believe that supporting and empowering Changemakers from many walks of life, by providing them with expertise, resources and capability will augment their efforts in moving people out of poverty.
Our Manifesto
GAP Believes That Every Human Being On This Planet Has The Right To Live With Dignity And In Abundance.
GAP Envisions A World Where Collective Ideas And Action Will Wipe Out Poverty Altogether.
GAP Knows That Changemakers Are The Ones That Will Make Change Happen On The Ground And It Empowers Them To Widen And Deepen Their Impact.
Our Ethos
No Us & Them
We think it is important to know that there is no ‘us’ and ‘them’, no ‘we are privileged’ and ‘they are poor’, no ‘we know the answers’ and ’they don’t’, no ‘I sympathize’ or ‘I get them’. The whole intention behind GAP is for each of us to know that we are somehow responsible for this creation called ‘poverty’ and we are together going to eradicate it.
Inner & Outer
The solutions are both inner and outer. Inner means having belief in oneself, having courage and even knowing with utmost surety that ‘I am capable and I know what I am doing with my life’. Outer means that ‘I have the capacity to make this happen’, the readiness to connect, get others to engage and come along on the change making journey.
Co-creating
We want to co-create this together and endeavor to bring the best of what each one of us has so that Changemakers benefit the most from our efforts. In the end, we intend that the Changemaker is able to make a real difference in the lives of the poor.