Many people spend their youthful years trying to make the most out of life through partying, buying the hottest items available in the market, travelling around the world and countless other You-Only-Live-Once-themed activities. But for Hugh Evans, it’s an entirely different story.

Born in Melbourne, Victoria, Evans puts his resources into good use by transforming the world into a better place, especially for the underprivileged and marginalized. He is the brains behind the Global Poverty Project and The Oaktree Foundation, and has received numerous local and international awards for his programs in promoting youth volunteerism and advocacy in order to minimize extreme poverty in underdeveloped countries.

One of today’s youngest social entrepreneurs, Evans grew up in the outskirts of Melbourne and studied in Carey Grammar School. During that time, the 12-year old budding humanitarian got to participate in the World Vision’s 40-hour Famine Program out of concern for extreme poverty in socioeconomically-depressed countries. The following year, Evans won a World Vision-funded project which allowed him to visit the Philippines and participate in the development programs that are being implemented there. Stirred by his experiences in the slums of Manila, Evans’s desire to make the world a better place grew even more intense.

Two years later, Evans joined a school exchange program where he was given an opportunity to visit India. His encounters with countless people living in impoverished communities moved him to bring about change. A further trip in the outskirts of South Africa, where he volunteered as World Vision’s Youth Ambassador, saw him return to Australia with a fervent desire to set his goals in motion.

In 2003, the 20 year-old humanitarian established The Oaktree Foundation, a non-government organization that provides assistance and development programs to underdeveloped countries in the African and Asia Pacific regions, and The Global Poverty Project, a community group that provides awareness and education towards battling extreme poverty. The foundation is manned by people aged 16 to 26, supervised by an advisory board, and has grown to become an effective and efficient medium for Australian youth advocacy for education and assistance in impoverished countries.