Changing lives in Asia

We’re keeping children safe from exploitation, and ensuring they have access to everything they need to have the best start in life.

Child marriage, child labour and trafficking are amongst the biggest issues facing children living across the region. Natural disasters like typhoons and earthquakes are frequent and have a huge impact on vulnerable children and their families.

We’re partnering with communities to tackle the root causes of poverty and help them establish sustainable ways to grow and thrive. We make sure we are when disaster strikes, providing life-saving emergency relief and help restore communities.

 CLEAN WATER

Our clean water work in Asia is changing lives
For more than 630 million people in South Asia, clean water has been pushed out of reach. Pollution, industry, and population growth has contaminated the water running through the region's vast rivers.

We put clean water back within reach. We dig wells, protect natural springs, and build rainwater systems in schools, so children can drink and wash their hands in safe water during the day.

Once we've set up the basics, we work with the communities on water management, so they can keep their water supply safe.

When safe water is a reality, healthy communities and healthy children can grow.

Learn more about our Clean Water work.


 EDUCATION

Our education work in Asia is making learning possible
When it comes to primary school, Asia is a success story, in fact 9 out of 10 children are enrolled. But once primary school finishes, it’s a different picture - many girls stop going.

This puts them at a much higher risk of sex trafficking, child labour, and child marriage. Quite simply, girls are being exploited across Asia because they are not getting an education.

So we're doing all that we can to get more girls in school. We’re working to pull down barriers that stop girls being in the classroom. We’re helping to provide quality education, for both boys and girls, so that they can have safe futures. We're also working to help people with disabilities get further education, and ensuring mums and dads know how important education is for their children. 

Learn more about our Education work.


 FOOD

We are helping parents feed their children healthy food
Two thirds of the population in Asia don't have enough food to live on, with more than 280 million undernourished people.

We know when children aren't getting the food they need to grow up physically and mentally strong, it's harder to fight off and recover from sickness, and to explore the world around them.

So we deliver food to the most vulnerable communities that urgently need it. We also address the problem at its root cause, and set up sustainable farming practices – not just for long-term food supply, but for produce to sell at markets too.

Learn more about our work with Nutritious Food.


 FAMILY INCOME

We are working to provide job opportunities in Asia
A third of the world's poorest people live in South Asia, where the gulf between the rich and poor is growing ever wider, and the population of the urban poor is rising.

Asia has urbanised, creating densely populated, sprawling cities. While it has allowed people to move to cities, find jobs, and be close to health and social services, it has also resulted in poor living conditions.

We work with communities to make sure children have access to food, shelter, clothing, healthcare, and schooling by helping their families earn money, through skills training and micro-finance.

Learn more about our Family Income work.


 HEALTHCARE

We are training health professionals in Asia
For women and young children in Asia, surviving childbirth, and the first five years of life, is no mean feat.

Mums in this part of the world are much more likely to die while giving birth to their babies than mums living in the developed world. Every day there are 830 maternal deaths – 180 of them are from Southern Asia, compared to 5 in developed countries. 

More than 30% of children in South East Asia are stunted, which is the highest in the world.  

We're working with communities to turn these numbers around, by getting basic medicines, nutritional support, and education to mums and their communities.

Learn more about our Healthcare work.


 CHILD PROTECTION

We are protecting the vulnerable
Child marriage, child labour, and trafficking are some of the biggest issues facing girls in Asia. One in nine girls will marry before they turn 15, and millions of children are being trafficked into sex exploitation and forced to work each year.

These issues have devastating consequences for girls. It affects their health, interrupts their education, and prevents them from reaching their potential. It robs them of their dignity, their rights, their future and, too often, their lives.

Exploitation of girls is complex and can be caused by a range of issues such as harmful traditions, poverty, and weak protection services and laws.

Learn more about our Child Protection work.