Pushpa Basnet, a Nepalese woman who
supports children so they don't have to live behind bars with their
incarcerated parents, was named the 2012 CNN Hero of the Year on
December 2nd, 2012 Sunday night.Photos Of This Memorable Moment
(CNN) -- Pushpa Basnet, a Nepalese woman who
supports children so they don't have to live behind bars with their
incarcerated parents, was named the 2012 CNN Hero of the Year on Sunday
night.
Nepal is one of the
poorest countries, and space is very limited in the few group homes
affiliated with the government. So when a parent is incarcerated and no
other guardian can be found, children have little choice but to live in
prison as well. Basnet, 29, is determined to give these children another option.
She started a home in Kathmandu
where children can receive education, food, medical care and a chance
to live a more normal life. She also runs a day care program for
children who are too young to be separated from their parent.
"These children have done
nothing wrong. They are simply caught in something they do not
understand," Basnet said during "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute," which
took place at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles and honored her and
the other top 10 CNN Heroes of 2012. "We want to work with the
government to bring them all out from of prison. And they deserve a
better future."
Since 2005, Basnet has helped more than 140 children through her nonprofit, the Early Childhood Development Center.
Basnet was chosen as Hero
of the Year through a nine-week public vote held on CNN.com. For being
named CNN Hero of the Year, she receives $250,000 to continue her work.
That is in addition to the $50,000 that each of the top 10 Heroes are
receiving.
When accepting the Hero of the Year award, Basnet relayed a message to incarcerated children in Nepal.
"Mamu's going to take you
out from the prison, and you're coming to my place," said Basnet, who
is called "Mamu" by many of the children. "This is for my children, and
this is for my country Nepal. Thank you so much everybody who voted for
me and who believed in my dream."
This is the sixth year
of the CNN Heroes campaign. In that time, more than 180 CNN Heroes have
been profiled on CNN, chosen from more than 45,000 nominations submitted
through the CNN Heroes website. (CNN)
