Anita Casalina

Anita Casalina has always been drawn to telling stories about peace and prosperity around the world. She has made educational films for Physicians for Social Responsibility, Friends of the Earth, Foster Parents Education, and other non-profit organizations. Like many people, Anita has thought a lot about the subject of poverty. Growing up in Oakland, California, she lived comfortably, but was aware that just down the hill people struggled to put food on the table. Even as a young child, that contrast bothered her. As she grew older and was able to understand the scope of global poverty, the problem felt overwhelming and insurmountable. In 2011, Anita met a man who had worked for USAID in Africa. She was amazed by all that he had been able to accomplish over 20 years of service, out "in the field," on the ground, working with farmers, trades people, women with small cottage creations, as well as government officials. As a result, he had transformed the lives of many thousands of people by helping them add value to the products and practices they already had in place. Rather than simply giving aid, in the form of money or food, he and his team showed people how to use their own skills and resources to increase their standard of living. Anita was inspired and co-founded the Billions Rising, Self-Reliance Foundation. The mission: to learn as much as possible about programs, organizations and projects around the globe that promote sustainable solutions for ending poverty, and then to share that information as widely as possible, beginning with the BlogTalk Radio show “Billions Rising.” On that show, Anita interviewed renowned philanthropic and pioneering leaders from around the world who were all working to end poverty. She compiled those interviews into the best-selling book, Billions Rising, Empowering Self-Reliance. After the success of her book, Anita wanted to continue to seek out and publicize the stories of the dedicated people and organizations who are contributing to the worldwide movement to end poverty forever. She and her business partner Melissa Lamming decided that television was the best medium to reach and engage the widest audience. That is how World Changers Television was launched. In each episode, Anita and the World Changers team present a new kind of news show, exploring a world that is alive with innovative, creative ways to uplift those in need out of poverty and into prosperity. This is the positive and inspiring news people are yearning for. These are the stories that show how each of us can make a difference in the world. That’s the overriding goal of World Changers Television and Anita’s personal mission in life.