Maggie Doyne, who runs Kopila Valley School and a women's center in Surkhet, changing lives of hundreds of children and women, was awarded CNN Hero of the Year 2015 on Tuesday in New York. CNN reports that Doyne will receive $100,000 for her nonprofit organization BlinkNow and $10,000 which each top 10 shortlist received. Doyne was announced the winner from among top 10 shortlist through online vote by CNN audience. Doyne, 28, first came to Nepal in 2006 via organization called Leapnow.org. Moved by the difficult lives of women and children in Nepal, she stayed back to start a women's center and Kopila Valley School in Surkhet to provide shelter and education to orphaned, underprivileged children and empowering needy women.
Maggie met a six-year-old girl named Hima, one of the hundreds of struggling children she met on her journey. Hima was breaking stones in a dry riverbed and selling them to earn a few dollars to feed her family. She was barely surviving, yet a glimmer of light shined deep within. Maggie was shocked by what she saw and decided to take action. Maggie got off to work and met numerous people in the area and started discussing with them. She helped Hima go to school, paying for her tuition, uniform, and books, and started to transform her life. Then she helped a few more children, then a few more. But her money could only go so far. More was needed. These children needed a place to call home. She went back to the US and raised about 20k dollars and came back to build a house and in 2008 The Kopila Valley childrens home opened its gate !! In 2009 maggie was awarded $ 1,00,000 which she used for her work back here. In 2010, another dream of her came true: Kopila Valley School. The school built out of locally harvested bamboo accommodated over 350 children from Surkhet and surrounding areas. Many were the first to attend school in their families creating a legacy of literate and educated students who would become empowered adults. Apart from schooling the children were provided with healthcare facilities and nutritious meals and a sense of confidence for a better tomorrow. Can you imagine someone giving up their family and life from thousand miles away and working for the betterment of the innocent kids in the rural areas of our country?? Maggie Doyne is one such brave lady who started with nothing is now mother to over 40 children. We salute the resilience of the #Maggiemom , please vote for her and help her win the CNN heroes of the year. You know it’s the least we can do to help someone who is up for changing future of Nepal for better.
