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Nepalese Pushpa Basnet Takes CNN Hero Of Year 2012
By KTM Metro Reporter
December 3, 2012: Pushpa Basnet of Nepal has voted for the CNN Hero of Year 2012, and collected the award on Sunday night in the US becoming the second Nepalese woman after Anuradha Koirala of Maiti Nepal won the prestigious honor in 2010. Pushpa Basnet has been running the Early Childhood Development Center for bringing up the children of the imprisoned mothers in Nepal giving the normal childhood to many children otherwise languishing in jail with their mothers.
Every year, the CNN selects the Top 10 its Heroes. This year, Pushpa Basnet not only became one of the Top 10 CNN Heroes but also the CNN Hero Of Year 2012. Each of the Top 10 CNN Heroes receives $50,000 in recognition of his/her work, and the Basnet’s nonprofit organization: Early Childhood Development Center receives an additional $250,000 grant from the CNN.
Anuradha Koirala of ‘Maiti Nepal’ had won the CNN Hero of the Year 2010 for her work done to rehabilitate the victims of women trafficking.
Here are the top 10 Heroes of 2012 (as listed by CNN):
Pushpa Basnet: Pushpa Basnet was shocked to learn that many children in Nepal have to live in prisons with their parents. In 2005, she started a children's center that has provided support, such as housing, education and medical care, to more than 140 children of incarcerated parents.
Wanda Butts: Wanda Butts lost her son in a drowning accident six years ago. In his memory, she started the Josh Project, a nonprofit that taught nearly 1,200 children -- most of them minorities -- how to swim.
Mary Cortani: Mary Cortani is a former Army dog trainer who started Operation Freedom Paws, a nonprofit that helps war veterans train their own service dogs. Since 2010, she has worked with more than 80 veterans who have invisible wounds such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
Catalina Escobar: Catalina Escobar is helping young moms in Colombia, where one in five girls age 15-19 is or has been pregnant. Since 2002, her foundation has provided counseling, education and job training to more than 2,000 teenage mothers.
Razia Jan: Razia Jan is fighting to educate girls in rural Afghanistan, where terrorists will stop at nothing to keep them from learning. She and her team at the Zabuli Education Center are providing a free education to about 350 girls, many of whom wouldn't normally have access to school.
Thulani Madondo: Thulani Madondo struggled as a child growing up in the slums of Kliptown, South Africa. Today, his Kliptown Youth Program provides school uniforms, tutoring, meals and activities to 400 children in the community.
Leo McCarthy: In memory of his daughter who was killed by a drunken driver in 2007, Leo McCarthy started Mariah's Challenge. The nonprofit gives college scholarships to teenagers who pledge not to drink while they're underage. Nearly $150,000 in scholarship money has been awarded.
Connie Siskowski: Connie Siskowski is helping young people who have to take care of an ill, disabled or aging family member. Since 2006, her nonprofit has provided assistance to more than 550 young caregivers in Palm Beach County, Florida.
Scott Strode: After beating his addiction to drugs and alcohol, Scott Strode found support through sports. Since 2007, his nonprofit, Phoenix Multisport, has provided free athletic activities and a sober support community to more than 6,000 participants in Colorado.
Malya Villard-Appolon: Malya Villard-Appolon is a rape survivor dedicated to supporting victims of sexual violence in Haiti. In 2004, she co-founded KOFAVIV, an organization that has helped more than 4,000 rape survivors find safety, psychological support and/or legal aid.
