An Indian activist who has tirelessly worked in eradicating the degrading practice of manual scavenging among India's untouchables, the dalits.

Myanmar’s preeminent movie actor and director, who has also established a wide network of free health, social, and educational programs for the poor

A soft-spoken Laotian whose love for silk weaving revived and developed the ancient Laotian art of silk weaving, and created livelihoods for thousands of poor, war-displaced Laotians

An innovative man who left his job in a well-known firm to devote himself to the task of finding ever better, more sustainable ways of organizing the effort to help those in need

A Filipino teacher serving the indigenous Matigsalug tribe living in one of the remotest villages in the mountainous hinterland of Davao City

An ethnic Kachin woman and a humanitarian aid worker who has demonstrated tact and openness as a leader, working harmoniously with various groups across ethnic, religious, and political divides

A pragmatic, hands-on, and action-oriented leader who has led anti-logging campaigns and established community-based natural resource management in Indonesia by engaging the forest communities in various social enterprise initiatives

A Cambodian agronomist who advocated sustainable agriculture by building an empowered citizenry in the rice farming communities through food security, market access, and asset creation

A small group of social activists which introduced innovative technology to help poor, rural families