On Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012, The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles hosted their sixth annual broadcast of CNN Heroes: An All Star Tribute and revealed Pushpa Basnet of Kathmandu, Nepal as the 2012 CNN “Hero of the Year”. Basnet was honored at this event for the work she’s done through her nonprofit, the Early Childhood Development Center.
The ECDC was founded in 2005 by Basnet to help break the cycle of crime and poverty in Nepal. Their mission is to house children who have to accompany their mothers to jail and therefore become unable to access education, nutrition, clothing and proper medical care. According to CNN, Basnet has provided supportive housing, education, and medical care to more than 140 children of incarcerated parents through ECDC since 2005.
Earlier this year, Avionté was able to sponsor and financially support the education of three children living in the ECDC’s residential home and kindergarten center. With two of our four Avionté partners originally from Nepal, and an office located in the heart of Katmandu, Nepal is an important piece of the Avionté puzzle and the Avionté Hope Foundation sets aside funds each month to help people and organizations within the area.
According to CNN, this multi-platform campaign shines a spotlight on individuals who go to extraordinary lengths to serve others. This year’s tribute show received more than 45,000 nominations from more than 100 countries and profiled over 180 heroes. This year’s show honored the Top 10 CNN Heroes, and upon proclaiming Basnet as the “Hero of the Year”, granted her a $50,000 prize and a $250,000 grant to go towards future ECDC efforts.
To watch a video of Pushna Basnet winning the Hero of the Year award, click here.
