Mendham woman a ‘CNN Hero’ for Nepal school

Maggie Doyne’s babysitting money has gone a long way, from helping one child in Nepal to being named a CNN Hero of the Year nominee, with the chance to win $100,000 for her nonprofit organization that helps underprivileged children and women in Nepal.

Doyne, 28, of Mendham, went to Nepal during a planned gap year between graduating from West Morris Mendham High School and starting college. She ended up using her life savings - $5,000 of babysitting money - to help a 6-year-old poverty-stricken girl named Hima in Surkhet.

Doyne used the funds to pay for Hima’s school tuition, books and uniform, and to buy a piece of land with the hopes of building a children’s home.  Two years later, in 2008, Doyne opened the Kopila Valley Children’s Home and, in 2010, the Kopila Valley School.

Kopila Valley is now home to 51 children and teaches nearly 400 students. It’s also home to a health clinic and a women’s center. Doyne has legal custody of many of the children at Kopila Valley.

Doyne is able to support the home and school through BlinkNow, a nonprofit dedicated to the cause, of which she is founder and chief executive officer.

Doyne was named a CNN Hero of the Week in April. For that recognition, Doyne and others with BlinkNow and Kopila Valley were vetted through an extensive process. The organization had been up for the honor in the past but had not made the final cut.

“I knew there were a lot of amazing stories. I thought we had a chance to be nominated but didn’t know for sure,” Doyne said. “I knew we had been on their radar, but I think we had a lot of supporters this year. And they were able to see the project firsthand, and I think that made an impact.”

Doyne found out she was a finalist for Hero of 2015 a couple weeks ago.

“We all watched it here on Skype into the BlinkNow office in New Jersey who had it on a TV,” Doyne said. “When Anderson Cooper said our name, the kids went wild, dancing and celebrating. It was so much fun, and cool that the children really felt a part of it.”

If she wins the $100,000 grant, it will go toward building a earthquake-resistant and environmentally sustainable school, which will allow her to help more children and educate them from the preschool to post-graduate vocational levels.

“One thousand children apply to go to Kopila Valley each year, and it takes a toll on me emotionally having to turn children away because we don’t have the space,” Doyne said. “So we’ll be able to build more classrooms to give more children an opportunity. We have almost 400 kids but the need it so great here, so we want to continue to get bigger until every child who needs it has a home and an education.”

Regardless of the results of the voting, Doyne is happy to share the story of the children in Koplia Valley with a worldwide audience.

“It’s strange to be in a competition with all the heroes doing amazing things. It’s humbling to be a part of that group,” Doyne said. “This is about sparking change and spreading the word.”

Doyne and her children were unharmed in the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Nepal in April, claiming the lives of nearly 9,000 people. That earthquake and dozens of aftershocks hit the area of Lamjung, affecting the major cities of Kathmandu and Pokara.

Doyne said Nepal is a different country in the aftermath of the quakes, with civil unrest and political instability.

“Nepal is still very much struggling,” Doyne said. “It hasn’t been an easy road, there’s still people living out of tents here. It feels like it’s been one thing after another.”

Doyne said she’s incredibly grateful for the support and enthusiasm she’s received both in the aftermath of the earthquake and since the nominations were announced.

“It’s really a family effort like it always has been,” Doyne said. “I love what I do, and I encourage others to find something they love that benefits others. My life changed after helping one child.”

Go to http://heroes.cnn.com/#.gd6mke04jce to vote for Doyne and the Kopila Valley children. Voting is open through Nov. 15 and the winner will be announced during “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute" on Dec. 6.

To contribute to BlinkNow, go to https://secure.blinknow.org/page/contribute/cnnheromaggiedoyne.

Staff Writer Michael Izzo: 973-428-6636; mizzo@GannettNJ.com