Doyne awarded CNN Hero of the Year
Kathmandu/ November 18: An American young lady who made Nepal her second home to contribute her every bit to the orphaned, impoverished and at-risk children here has been named CNN 2015 Hero of the Year.
Maggie Doyne was announced the winner of the award on Tuesday amid a ceremony held in New York, USA.
Along with the award, Doyne, originally from New Jersey in the States, bagged cash prize worth USD 100,000 in additional to USD 10,000 received by each Hero for being named to the Top 10. She was chosen winner from this year’s Top 10 Heroes in an online vote by CNN audiences
Doyne has been in Nepal for a decade and runs a school with shelter named Kopila Valley Children Home in Surkhet district since 2006. The Shelter is home to more than 50 children ranging from eight months to 16 years in age.
Likewise, the BlinkNow Foundation, a non-profit organization run by this new CNN Hero offers education to more than 350 students.
A sorry sight of conflict-hit kids crushing stones for a living or to support poor parents she saw in Mid-Western region in her first backpacking trip to Nepal triggered a flash of inspiration to this American lady to give back to society here.
“After that heart-wrenching scene, it sank in to me that I must do something in the sector of children here,” recalled Doyne.
Also, she further shared that during the same trip, she bumped into an orphan teenage girl who was working as a porter (to support her family). That’s what struck Doyne, a teenager herself, to make some difference in the lives of orphans like the porter girl.
“If you had told me when I turned 18 that I was going to be the mom of 50 kids, I would have told you that you were totally crazy. And I am. And to my kids, I love you so much. Don’t ever forget how much I love you,” said Doyne shedding tears of joy after receiving the award.
In her thank-you speech, she also thanked Nepal and its people for accepting her as a daughter and welcoming her into the land.
On the occasion, nine other contenders had shared their respective stories of social work and the source of their inspiration. RSS