Pushpa Basnet

Her first steps involved starting a five-days-a-week daycare for children under six years old in 2005 when Pushpa Basnet returned from a visit of jail during her study of social works. The children would get out of the jail in the morning and go back in the evening. They would participate in coloring, reading, studying, and other activities. Then in 2007, she started a residential home, called The Butterfly Home. Family, friends, and people in general thought she was crazy, but she was confident of her calling in life. The Butterfly Home is not merely a children facility. The name is quite symbolic because it is a home filled with a family atmosphere, motherly love, and the ability to transform into the best version of themselvessomething growing up in prison would have voided them of.

Now here she is, an unsung lady recipient of the CNN Hero of the Year 2012, one of the topmost awards of the world. She runs an organization named "Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC)" which have now provided alternative residence, school enrollment, nutritious meals, medical care, and a nurturing home for over 100 children, between the age of 2 to 17.

At the beginning, Pushpa started taking care of 5 children with their parents behind the bars, but she used to return them to their mothers at the nights. After this long exercises and attempts of 7 long years, she has now been considered housemother of sorts for those children, who go school every day, learn painting, yoga, music, gardening, documentary film making, languages, and computers as extra activities. Indeed these children could have gone through the fates of other 100s of children, who still stay with their parents behind the bars or drags their coping on the streets of Kathmandu and other cities lacking the local guardians.

Pushpa is not just living; she is trying to make the world a better place. By giving them good education today, she is hoping that tomorrow there will be less crime. Incarcerated parents are also most grateful for Pushpa. Statistics suggest that children of incarcerated parents will follow in the same steps as their parents. These children will have opportunities because they are educated. It's not fair for (these) children to live in the prison because they haven't done anything wrong. My mission is to make sure no child grows up behind prison walls. "I had a very fortunate life, with a good education," Basnet said.

Nepal is one of the poorest nations in the world and is ranked 157 out of 187 countries on the Human Development Index. Because of such unfortunate realities, foster care systems are not implemented in the country for children of incarcerated parents and many times relatives cannot afford to take care of another child. The poverty-stricken country is left with only one option. The children must grow up behind prison bars with their incarcerated parents. Such unfortunate realities are not only recognized by Pushpa, but incarcerated mothers as well. And although the Butterfly Home is not located in the prisons, during school holidays she has the kids visit their parents and bring them food, water, and clothes. She has even reunited some children with their mothers after their release. Her love extends beyond just the kids present life too. She has also opened an account for each child with money set aside toward their college education.

Pushpas efforts have extended to other countries as well. Her mission is to make sure no kid grows up behind prison walls.The children love her, nations admire her, and the world is inspired that women can make a difference in big problems as well