Kathmandu, December 16

CNN Hero Maggie Doyne, BlinkNow Founder and CEO, today expressed her commitment to continue educating the orphaned, impoverished and at risk children with extra strength.

Since 2010, Doyne has been educating some 400 children from Surkhet and surrounding areas by setting up Kopila Valley School.

Sharing her happiness and gratitude to Nepali people at a press meet today on her arrival to the country after receiving the award, Doyne said that her family, friends and the whole community was very happy for her achievement and had inspired her to do more for the Nepali children.

Doyne had received the 2015 CNN Hero Award in New York on November 17. She received $100,000 for BlinkNow Foundation in addition to $10,000 that each Hero received for making it to the Top 10 list.

“I am so happy to be back in Nepal with my co-founder Top Malla. This award isn’t just for our organisation, its for all of us for the people of Nepal,” she said, adding, “They have been by our side since day one.

We never would have been able to accomplish what we have without their love and support.”

“My friends and family have already come to Nepal and watched my work with their own eyes so they have really supported and appreciated my works,” she said.

After Doyne’s senior year of high school, she decided to take a gap to set off and see the world. Four countries and 20,000 miles later, she found herself trekking through the Himalayas and walking on dirt roads through poverty-striken villages in Nepal.

During this time, Doyne met a six-year old girl named Hima who was breaking stones in a dry riverbed and selling them to earn money for her family.

She was shocked and decided to enroll Hima into a school by paying for her tuition, uniform and books.

She started to help a few more children and one by one witnessed their young lives being transformed.