#pushpa basnet

In Nepal, when parents are sentenced to prison, their children go with them to serve their terms if there are no other legal guardians. Meet Pushpa Basnet, a woman who goes into those prisons, takes the children out and gives them a place to stay. Pushpa, known as Mamu (Nepalese for mother), provides a safe and enriching haven for 46 children at her orphanage, the Butterfly Home. 

By Charlie Campbell / Kathmandu, TIME, Jan. 09, 2014

Anish was just 5 years old when he went to prison in Nepal. The boy is no criminal--his only transgression was having a mother with a drug addiction. When she was arrested for trafficking, Anish had no choice but to go along with her. "I didn't like it in there at all," Anish, now 12, says.

Thankfully, Anish's ordeal lasted just two months. Today he is thriving at a sanctuary for children with incarcerated mothers and no other family to care for them. "What I like most here is playing with my friends," he says with a grin. Since 2005, around 160 youngsters like Anish have been spared the horrors of growing up inside the landlocked Himalayan nation's unforgiving penal system, largely because of the efforts of Pushpa Basnet and her Early Childhood Development Center.

When she was 21 years old, Basnet visited Kathmandu's main Janana Women's Prison as part of her studies to be a social worker. What she witnessed shocked her: children being forced to grow up in a central, high-walled courtyard--no cells, just open plan--without proper toilets, bedding or any schooling--all the time mingling with hardened criminals. "I knew I needed to do something," recalls Basnet.

Nine years have passed since that initial ghastly impression, during which time Basnet has turned a day-care center for four children--three of whom were born behind bars and had never breathed free air--into a three-story residential hostel that currently houses 44 children aged from 13 months to 18 years old. "When I was growing up, I didn't want for anything," she says. "I was lucky enough to have these opportunities, and so I want to give the same to them."

Basnet's quest began with a cobbled-together $1,000--along with toys, furniture and art supplies scavenged from friends and family--which she used to set up day-care services in a cramped $100-a-week apartment in Kathmandu, Nepal's sprawling dustbowl capital. "Every day was a struggle to know if we had the money to continue," she says. Two years later some of the older children had to leave prison and move to an orphanage. (Generally this happens around age 8 or 9, but largely at the discretion of each prison authority.) "But when I saw the orphanage, I was not happy," says Basnet, who then extended her services to residential care.

Today the younger children get nursery lessons in the spotless hostel--boasting natural craft supplies, a library, comfy bunk beds and mountains of learning toys--while the older kids attend a regular school nearby. All are taught English, math and computer skills, and a range of extra­curricular activities including painting, trekking, camping and taekwondo. "A lot of them have so much anger inside that I think the fighting helps them release it," says Basnet. (Anish has already gained his yellow belt.)

Yet Basnet's journey has been far from smooth. "At first the mothers didn't trust me, as I was so young," she says. "Jailers would accuse me of trying to sell the children." At the outset, she harbored misgivings about taking young children away from their mothers. On her first excursion with kids outside the fetid jail, their inquisitive glee at being in new surroundings swiftly transformed into screaming terror as they feared they had been abandoned by their mothers. "At that point I thought that I'd made a big mistake," says Basnet. Nevertheless, she persevered with short sojourns, and "after two weeks they were so happy to come out from the prison."

Despite initial reservations, incarcerated mothers became persuaded by Basnet's ceaseless devotion. Sancha Maya Tamang, 40, gave her 5-month-old daughter to Basnet when she was sent to prison for murdering her abusive husband. "I wasn't happy, as there were some problems inside the jail and she couldn't get an education," she says. "My child was better off outside."

Devotion does not translate to indulgence, however. Basnet is firm with her charges, convinced that structure and discipline are imperative for troubled children. "If you are a little strict, then they learn to respect you," she says. "That's very important in our culture." Yet she also appreciates that the children under her care need greater understanding than average kids. "I've never had to experience what they have had to experience," she says. "When I compare my life with theirs, it is something totally different."

This past Christmas, the children enjoyed a special dinner of roast chicken and sweet treats, along with games, dancing and a bonfire. Humble gifts such as toothbrushes, hairbands and plastic toys were handed out. "We are not a religious organization and have Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu children from villages from all over the country," says Basnet. "So we used the occasion to learn about each other's religions."

(# 149 Nepal) Pushpa Basnet: Why she kicks ass

She is a social worker and the Founder and President of Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC) and Butterfly Home, non profit organizations, in Kathmandu, Nepal. 

She and her organization work to strengthen the rights of children living behind bars with their incarcerated parents. Her efforts have been recognized by the National and International Media, since she was nominated for the CNN Heroes Award 2012.

In 2007, she opened a residential home for kids to live outside of prison year round while still visiting their mothers on holidays. Today, she has assisted more than 100 children of incarcerated parents. She runs a day care center for the prison children and a residential home for older ones. She has also helped to provide alternative residence, school enrollment, free meals and medical care to them.

In 2009, sponsored by Change Fusion Nepal, she started a program to coach parents to make handicrafts inside the cell. The main objective of the program is to make the female prisoners as well as former prisoners to involve in income generating activities through which they can sustain their livelihood and contribute towards raising their children.

She, along with her organization, coordinates with prison administrators to rescue children behind bars throughout urban and rural areas of Nepal, and help them break the cycle of crime and poverty.

KATHMANDU, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- Nepali citizen Pushpa Basnet has clinched the 2012 CNN 'Hero of the Year' award. Basnet is the second Nepali to claim the award.

Basnet, who came out atop out of 10 nominees, had rescued many children who had no choice but to live with their incarcerated parents behind bars. She had started a day care program for many of those children and opened a home in Kathmandu where dozens of them can live a more normal life.

"I think this recognition has given importance to the welfare and upbringing of the children who will become responsible citizens of the country and the leaders of tomorrow," Basnet said after receiving the award. "I hope our organization will soon be able to expand its services so that it is able to accommodate more children who are still living behind prison walls."

Pushpa Basnet named CNN Hero of the Year 2012. 

Congrats to Ms. Basnet! This is truly inspiring. We can all make a difference in this world. No matter how small, our actions do have an impact. Whether it's building a school in a third world country or volunteering at your local soup kitchen, every action matters. I hope this can be encouraging for people to go out and lend a helping hand.

This is SO so so so inspiring in so many ways. I'm really moved beyond words. 

I always like to look at the comments on articles, and when I did so on this article, it actually brought tears to my eyes. NEVER have I EVER seen people in complete unity as they are in response to this woman. 

"She is an angel." "What a beautiful soul." "What a blessing to humanity." etc...

It had always been like I will be voting for Pushpa Basnet, but had always forgotten to do so in my daily chores and today I at least took up the time to give my generous 10 votes a day to her.  I thank Ms Anita Thapa, whose tweet let me get on the move. I hope this makes a difference.

Well after the vote I felt like to write something on her, a lady who's there for a cause, who's striving for the betterment of others. I feel there needs to be made some difference and the lady who's been nominated there to make some difference through the prize money from CNN Heroes , lest why not support her.