"A heartfelt, inspiring story of how one man has inspired hundreds of thousands of volunteers to overcome the poverty and injustices in their midst" Young British journalist Thomas Graham was on a short-term editorial assignment in the Philippines when he interviewed the founder of Gawad Kalinga, Tony Meloto. Asked why poverty remained so high in the country, Mr Meloto urged Thomas to ditch the tie and delve into the heart of the matter. "You won't find the answers you are looking for in that clipboard of theoretical questions. Instead, enter the world of the poor and find solutions together." Thomas promptly quit his job, moved out of his high-rise Manila apartment and set out on a journey that took him across the length and breadth of the islands. Along the way, he ignored the warnings of his embassy and headed into conflict areas sporting only a GK t-shirt for protection, befriended former gang leaders, and briefly lost his father during a visit to a prison. Wherever he went, he uncovered remarkable tales of resilience, hope and transformation which taught him more insights and life lessons in a twelve month journey than all his earlier education had achieved back home. Most importantly, he learned that Mr Meloto's contention was true: a country like the Philippines, blessed with such abundant resources and talented people, really does have no excuse to be poor.