Our work

Founded in 2006, ACTAsia is a multifaceted charity that believes in education to drive long-term sustainable change.

We focus on the need to educate Asian children, consumers and professionals to be more compassionate towards animals, to show respect for people and to protect the environment. 

Why Education

ACTAsia recognises that education is the key to equipping children, consumers and professionals with the knowledge and skills necessary to create a more compassionate world by demonstrating empathy towards people, animals and the environment. Our world is facing tremendous challenges including industrialised animal exploitation, human welfare conflicts, habitat loss, global warming and the recent COVID19 pandemic. The power of education allows us to create change within institutions through schools, higher education institutions, professional bodies and businesses to create long-term sustainable change. 

Why we educate children

We work with children because long-term sustainable change starts with them. Humane education which is often referred to as PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic) is widely taught in the west but is not taught in Asian schools. Without these lessons, children are not taught vital life skills such as empathy, compassion, the importance of protecting animals and the environment and how all living creatures are interconnected. 

In addition, in China, large numbers of adults leave remote rural areas for work to developing urban areas, but children are left behind. As a result of this mass migration, there are now an estimated 61 million ‘left-behind’ children living in remote rural areas without their parents. ACTAsia’s CFL programme plays a critical role in the development of these children, helping to nurture the moral guidance they need to be a compassionate generation of the future.

Why do we educate consumers?

Consumer education is essential as information isn’t readily available in many Asian nations regarding the true impact and suffering behind many day-to-day consumer goods.  

ACTAsia’s work focuses on raising awareness surrounding the exploitation of animals, people and the environment in production methods for consumer related items, especially of animal-based and plastic products, such as meat, fur or plastic bottles. 

ACTAsia highlights the damaging impact of certain methods and offers suggestions for alternative, more compassionate choices so that consumers can consider the origin of their purchase and if the purchase is necessary. ACTAsia also promotes plant-based diets to consumers to prevent animal cruelty and to protect the environment for a more sustainable future. 

Why do we educate professionals?

ACTAsia offers training and professional development to influential community members, such as veterinarians, lawyers, doctors, officials and journalists. ACTAsia works closely with teachers and vets meaning that they can in turn make informed decisions in their work, lead by example and educate and positively influence others. By using these networks of professionals, we can spread our message of compassion and kindness further afield and more effectively through institutional change. 

Compassionate Choices Network

The goal of the Compassionate Choice Network is to focus on issues affecting animals, people and the environment by using education to address, highlight and resolve harmful practices. The CCN supports Asian organisations across the region bringing together Asian spokespeople who work together to reduce animal consumption, to protect humans from harm and to safeguard the environment by promoting responsible consumption and sustainable lifestyle. Strong localised partnerships aligning cultural preferences are core to the project.

Institute for Change

ACTAsia’s Institute for Change provides an online community for learners and a portal for research, run in collaboration with industry and universities. It’s about working together, accelerating learning and driving long term change. Institute for Change acts as an accelerator for learners, industry and the media, as well as the ACTAsia team. 

Our Impact

Find out more about ACTAsia’s incredible impact.