Interview with Devi Mohan, ACT Foundation President
Author: Azur Ekić
Since its inception in 2003, ACT Foundation has grown quietly yet powerfully into a global platform for selfless service, touching lives across continents. In 2025, the formal registration of ACT International as an umbrella organization marked a milestone in bringing structure to this evolving family of volunteers. In this interview, Devi Mohan reflects on the journey, highlights of 2025, and the spiritual and practical heart of service that continues to guide ACT’s initiatives worldwide.
The Awakening Times: What led to the decision to register ACT International as an umbrella organization in 2025?
Devi Mohan: ACT Foundation was born in light (quite literally) on the Festival of Lights, Diwali, in 2003. From its very beginning, its growth was never forced or aggressively pursued. What I love about it the most is that it unfolded naturally, organically, heart by heart, country by country.
When I joined this beautiful platform for selfless service in 2007, after meeting Mohanji in Dubai, I could not have imagined the quiet yet powerful expansion of ACT Foundation that would follow. In 2012, when I stepped into the role of President, my intention was simply to add my humble contribution to a growing global family of service-driven individuals committed to making a tangible difference.
Over the years, more than 30 ACT teams blossomed across continents. Each began modestly, with small initiatives, a handful of dedicated volunteers, and a sincere desire to serve. As these ACT teams matured, more than half reached a point of formal registration within their respective countries.
By 2025, it became clear that the time had come for the next natural step. The growth was no longer only inspirational, it required structure. Collaboration between countries was increasing and global projects were expanding. Larger funding opportunities demanded legal clarity and governance standards.
Thus, ACT International Foundation was formally registered in London on 4 February 2025.
Three key reasons, or central forces, that led to this decision were:
- Rapid international growth that called for an integrated global structure
- Increasing cross-border collaboration requiring shared governance, standards, and accountability
- The necessity of a legally sound international entity to access global grants and implement larger multi-country initiatives
Therefore, we can freely say that this step was not merely administrative. It was evolutionary.
The Awakening Times: And what changed operationally within our ACT world?
Devi Mohan: With ACT International Foundation came the ACT International Council with members from different parts of the globe. For the first time, coordination became structured at the global level.
The Council introduced structured reporting and clearer roles between international and national teams, which made a big difference.
In terms of communication and team-building, the year 2025 marked a historic milestone as ACT Foundation hosted its first-ever Global Online Summit, bringing together 170+ participants from across continents.
In short, it provided a legal identity to support international partnerships, funding opportunities, and compliance requirements. Operationally, ACT gained something invaluable: credibility at the international level. Horizons widened and conversations with global institutions became easier. Opportunities that once felt distant became accessible.
Essentially, this was never about control but about coherence, and as ACT President I know all our ACT teams across the globe feel that. We function as a beautiful global family, not a rigid institution with vertical reporting system.
The Awakening Times: How does a central international entity strengthen coordination between national branches?
Devi Mohan: I would say that the presence of ACT International Foundation creates alignment, support, and inspiration without diminishing local autonomy.
In purely technical terms, it ensures:
- A shared vision and common values across countries
- Continuous knowledge-sharing and best practice exchange
- Coordinated regional and global project planning
- Consistent branding and programme quality worldwide
- Administrative and technical support for emerging or smaller teams
- A formal platform for collective decision-making
- Stronger representation when engaging with international stakeholders
In essence, it transforms individual national efforts into a unified global movement.
The Awakening Times: What does ACT International make possible today that was more difficult before?
Devi Mohan: I can proudly say that today, ACT operates with:
- Greater international visibility and donor confidence
- The ability to centrally apply for and manage global grants
- Coordinated multi-country projects with unified reporting and impact measurement
- Shared volunteer expertise and transferable programme models
- Faster mobilisation during emergencies
- Centralised development of training materials and operational toolkits
All in all, what was once fragmented is now harmonised and what was once often mainly aspirational is now operationally achievable.
ACT Activities in 2025
The Awakening Times: Looking at 2025 as a whole, which humanitarian initiatives or regions would you highlight as particularly significant for ACT?
Devi Mohan: Looking at 2025 as a whole, in our ACT world South America stands out as a deeply significant region for ACT, especially in its impact on indigenous communities. Across Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil, ACT Foundation’s work reached some of the most historically marginalized populations — communities whose cultural identity, spiritual traditions, and daily survival are often under threat.
In Colombia and Brazil in particular, consistent support to indigenous groups such as the Arhuaco, Wiwa, Kogi, Kaingang, Guarani, and Shipibo communities meant far more than food distribution. These efforts protected dignity, preserved sacred traditions, and strengthened intergenerational continuity. Supporting children in spiritual training, assisting indigenous students in cities far from home, and providing basic staples to families living in extreme conditions carried profound emotional and cultural weight. The impact was not only measured in kilograms of food delivered, but in trust built, heritage sustained, and hope reaffirmed. Across South America, ACT’s presence signaled to indigenous communities: you are seen, you are valued, you are not forgotten.
At the same time, Sri Lanka stood out as the team with one of ACT’s largest and most comprehensive humanitarian scopes in 2025. Serving over 64,000 school meals addressed hunger on a life-changing scale. The construction of new water wells transformed daily life for entire communities, giving families access to safe, reliable water—something that reshapes health, dignity, and opportunity for generations.
The 55 cataract surgeries restored not only sight but independence and renewed possibility. Combined with flood relief, clothing distribution, animal care, and university scholarships, the work in Sri Lanka reflects a deeply integrated humanitarian model with measurable, wide-reaching impact.
Finally, we have to highlight South Africa, where poverty levels remain critically high in many regions and where ACT’s contribution was immensely significant. Serving more than 26,000 meals and distributing over 7 tons of food provided essential relief in communities facing daily hardship. Programs in informal settlements, disability schools, shelters, and rural areas ensured that children, the elderly, and vulnerable families received consistent support. And most importantly, youth empowerment initiatives and agricultural projects added a sustainable dimension, offering not just aid, but pathways toward resilience and community strengthening.
Overall, 2025 was marked by both emotional depth of impact and tangible scale. From protecting indigenous heritage in South America, to building water wells and restoring vision in Sri Lanka, to addressing systemic poverty in South Africa, ACT’s initiatives combined compassion with measurable impact. The work done this year was not only extensive—it was transformative, rooted in dignity, and carried out with a genuine commitment to uplift lives across continents.
The Awakening Times: ACT Foundation supports a variety of initiatives. Can you tell us about Act4Animals (A4A) and its role in the ACT ecosystem?
Devi Mohan: Act4Animals (A4A) is a global platform dedicated to spreading awareness about plant-based, cruelty-free, sustainable living and inspiring compassionate choices for animals and the planet. It envisions bringing together individuals, communities, and organizations to create meaningful change through education, advocacy, and collective action.
While Act4Animals has been present for several years, it has gained renewed momentum at the beginning of this year with the support of a new core team. With fresh vision and collaborative energy, A4A envisions expanding its reach and strengthening its impact across communities worldwide.
Reflection on Service
The Awakening Times: Many people see volunteering primarily as helping others. In your experience, does service also transform the volunteer, and if so, how?
Devi Mohan: When someone performs an act of truly selfless service, something truly sacred happens. Yes, the person receiving support is helped, sometimes in life-changing ways, but what many don’t know is that even deeper transformation occurs within the one who serves.
We live in a world that feels increasingly rushed, fragmented, and uncertain. Stress is high. Political divisions and climate instability weigh heavily on our collective heart. In times like these, the simple act of becoming a mirror of compassion to another human being is revolutionary. To serve is to quietly declare in the midst of this chaos: Love is still here and Love is only real.
There is much discussion today about a shift in consciousness, a movement from fear and greed toward unconditional love. In the profound book Incredibly Believable!: Everything You Wanted to Know About The Shift But Did Not Know Whom to Ask by Dr. Sunny Satin, insights gathered from hundreds of individuals point toward the same truth: the old structures rooted in fear are crumbling, and humanity is being invited into a higher expression of love and unity.
Selfless service is not simply charitable action. It is a direct, conscious participation in this shift.
If there is one thread that weaves through all spiritual traditions, it is Unconditional Love, not as an abstract concept, but embodied through service. When we serve without expectation, without recognition, without personal gain, we step into the highest version of ourselves. We encounter the Divine within.
ACT Foundation was born from this very intention: to celebrate the direct experience of inner transformation through Selfless Service, and to inspire others to join in uplifting those who are less fortunate. Yet, as mentioned above, something mysterious and beautiful happens in the process, we are uplifted too!
Through service, we refine our inner being. In many Eastern traditions, this is understood as transforming one’s karmic blueprint. Each selfless act leaves an imprint of light within us. Our “spiritual bank balance” grows, not in material wealth, but in purity, clarity, and alignment. We begin to feel lighter, more peaceful, more connected with All That Is. Life flows differently.
Service gently shifts us from survival to sacredness, from separation to unity, from fear to love. For those who walk the path of service, higher awareness unfolds naturally, quietly, and so, so beautifully.
The Awakening Times: What would you say to someone who feels the desire to serve but is unsure whether they can truly make a difference?
Devi Mohan: I can only answer from my own lived experience.
When life feels stable and comfortable, we often assume it will remain that way forever. But life can change in a single day. During the war in Former Yugoslavia, I experienced how quickly one can go from security and abundance to having nothing, waking up one day as a refugee, dependent on the Red Cross and the goodwill of strangers.
When you are in that place, when even your most basic needs are not met, one kind word, one warm meal, one small gesture of care becomes priceless beyond measure. It is not just material help. It is hope and dignity restored. It is the spark of faith reignited, restoring one’s belief in humanity, and the strength to rise again.
This is why service is never “small.” Charity is not merely about providing necessities. It is about empowerment. It is about reminding someone: You matter. You are seen. You are not alone.
And what happens within the one who serves is equally profound. As per my own experience, after each act of genuine service, something in me expands and opens. Meditation deepens. The heart softens and quiet joy fills the inner space. There is a lightness that cannot be manufactured or bought, the lightness that makes our world magical.
Why is this so?
Because it is the nature of Love to expand.
Love expands our hearts, our awareness, our sense of purpose. It dissolves the illusion of separation. What is measurable is temporary and in the end illusory, but Love is eternal and thus only real. Love connects us to our soul. Love is who we truly are, beautiful and aware while in this body suit.
So if you feel even the smallest whisper inside you calling you to serve, do listen. You do not have to change the whole world. You only need to touch one life. Even the smallest step toward selfless service creates ripples far beyond what you can see.
Choose to serve Love, and watch your own life blossom in unexpected ways. When like-minded hearts come together, service platforms like ACT Foundation become a field of shared transformation.
In ACT Foundation, inspired by an angel called Ammu who briefly walked the Earth and inspired her father (Mohanji) to start this platform, we welcome you into this living experience of unconditional love, a platform for inner transformation given to us to be felt, embodied and shared.
