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June 30, 2026

Announcing the Impact Hero 2026! 📢

As many communities in our world navigate uncertainty, conflict, and rapid change, one thing remains clear: lasting impact is built by people who refuse to look away from the challenges around them. Across the Asia-Pacific, changemakers are finding new ways to protect nature, strengthen communities, and create opportunities where they are needed most.

This year, from a pool of 105 applicants across 23 countries, Earth Company welcomed nine inspiring changemakers from the Asia-Pacific into the Impact Heroes Class of 2026. Their journey began online and continued at Heroes Bali Camp, where they came together to connect, recharge, and strengthen their visions for impact. Each Hero brought a unique perspective, bold ambition, and deep commitment to their communities, making this year's selection process more challenging than ever.

After careful consideration, thoughtful discussion, and much inspiration from every Hero, we are delighted to introduce our Impact Hero of the Year and Runner-up for 2026.

 

đź‘‘ IMPACT HERO 2026 : Watcharapon "Sia" Kukaewkasem

Focus geography: Thailand
Organization: Freedom Restoration Project

 

An Akha leader providing safety and dignity to migrant women and children affected by domestic violence along the Thai border.

 

Sia was born into an Akha migrant family along Thailand’s border, where she grew up witnessing her father’s abuse toward her mother—violence met with silence because her mother could not speak Thai and had nowhere to turn. Through education, healing, and personal growth, Sia came to believe that her experiences could be transformed into strength for others.

In Thailand’s border communities, domestic violence is widespread and often normalized, while Myanmar migrant women and children face heightened risk. Without legal status, language skills, or financial independence, many survivors have little access to protection systems or shelters and remain trapped in abusive situations for fear of detention, deportation, or losing their children.

In 2017, Sia founded the Freedom Restoration Project (FRP), a survivor- and women-led organization providing the only long-term shelter and holistic support for migrant survivors of gender-based violence along the Thai–Myanmar border. Serving primarily undocumented Myanmar migrants, FRP has supported over 400 women and children through safe housing, counseling, mental health care, and vocational training—helping survivors rebuild their lives with dignity and independence.

 

Reasons for Selection

 

➣   Along the Thai-Myanmar border, where rising displacement and shrinking humanitarian aid are leaving many vulnerable women and children without support, Sia is providing safety, dignity, and hope. Her work reaches those who too often fall through the cracks, including survivors of domestic violence, stateless individuals, and single mothers.

➣   Sia's work goes beyond helping women escape crises. Through emergency shelter, safe housing, trauma care, education, and vocational training, FRP provides continuous support as women rebuild their lives and move toward independence. As one of the few organizations offering this end-to-end approach along the Thai–Myanmar border, FRP fills a critical gap in the support system.

➣   Having witnessed domestic violence in her own childhood, Sia understands deeply the pain and challenges faced by the women she serves. Her compassion, resilience, and leadership are transforming hardship into hope and creating lasting change in countless lives.

➣   With Earth Company's support, we believe Sia's work is ready to reach the next stage of its growth. By strengthening the sustainability of her organization, we are confident that her impact will continue to expand, bringing lasting change to more women and children who need it most. This is the right moment for our support.

 

 

A Message from Sia

[English Transcription]

Hi everyone, greetings from Freedom Restoration Project (FRP) shelter in Mae Sot, Thailand. Here at our shelter, we have eight small houses to provide a safe space for eight women and 22 children escaping from domestic violence every month. But every year, we have to turn away 25 more women and 50–60 children because we simply don’t have enough space.

My name is Sia. I’m the Founder and Director of the Freedom Restoration Project.

Our dream is not to build more houses or shelters, but to help the women at our shelter rebuild their lives and make space for other women who need a safe space. So when I was told that I got selected as the Impact Hero 2026, I was so excited and so thrilled about what the next 2.5 years of this support would look like. 

And I know that this title is not only about me; it belongs to all the women and children who have the courage to leave violence and rebuild their lives. So I would like to encourage all of you to please stay tuned and follow our journey of how this journey will turn FRP into a more regenerative organization.

Thank you so much.

Together with Sia, Earth Company will be committed to strengthening survivor-centered programs that help women rebuild their lives with safety, dignity, and independence until December 2028.

 

🏅 IMPACT HERO 2026 RUNNER-UP : Kumar Paudel

Focus geography: Nepal
Organization: Greenhood Nepal

 

A justice-driven researcher who stands up to poaching and power, working with local communities to protect endangered species through science and policy.

 

Kumar grew up in a village along the Nepal–China border, surrounded by wildlife and forests. As a child, he witnessed pangolins being killed and trafficked for the illegal wildlife trade, which shaped his lifelong commitment to conservation. After studying biodiversity in Kathmandu and later at Cambridge, he founded Greenhood Nepal to protect the species and ecosystems that defined his early life.

Nepal is a global biodiversity hotspot, home to nearly 3% of the world’s species, yet illegal poaching and wildlife trafficking pose serious threats. Pangolins, the world’s most trafficked mammals, are critically endangered, with an estimated 17,000 poached each year, pushing already fragile populations toward collapse.

Through Greenhood Nepal, Kumar advances science-based conservation by generating research, shaping policy, and strengthening the conservation community. Over the past 13 years, the organization has reached more than 10 million people, trained 1,200 officials to combat wildlife crime, and produced 30 peer-reviewed studies to support long-term protection of Nepal’s wildlife and habitats.

 

Reasons for Selection

 

➣   Kumar is a leader in wildlife conservation in Nepal who combines scientific expertise with action in the field. His work currently covers approximately 60% of Nepal's national parks, with a vision to expand its reach nationwide.

➣   What sets his work apart is its focus on the root causes of poaching and illegal wildlife trade: a lack of knowledge and the disconnect between local communities and nature. Drawing on interviews with prisoners who were involved in poaching, he runs awareness programs that use traditional music and picture books, aiming for local people themselves to become the stewards of nature.

➣   Kumar has demonstrated both the courage and determination to drive systemic change, including successfully challenging a former prime minister over the possession of protected wildlife products. Recognizing both his strong track record and tremendous potential for future growth, Earth Company is proud to name him the Impact Hero 2026 Runner-Up.

🌏 Celebrating Our Heroes

While only one Hero is selected each year as Impact Hero of the Year, this recognition does not diminish the remarkable work of the other changemakers in the cohort.

Each member of the Impact Heroes Class of 2026 has inspired us with their courage, vision, and commitment to creating positive change in their communities. We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to learn from their journeys and witness the impact they are making across the Asia-Pacific.

Throughout the rest of the year, the Heroes will continue participating in one-on-one mentoring sessions, strengthening their leadership and organizations while implementing projects supported by our grants. More on this soon.

We invite you to explore their stories below and join us in supporting a future where people and communities can thrive together.