December 2, 2012: Pushpa Basnet a social worker of Nepal was announced the winner of the prestigious CNN Heros award for second time for Nepal held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, on Sunday. Academy Award winning actress Susan Sarandon presented Basnet with an award as one of the Top 10 CNN Heroes of 2012. The show was aired LIVE through CNN. Each of the Top 10 CNN Heroes received $50,000 in recognition of their work, and Basnet’s nonprofit, the Early Childhood Development Center, has been awarded an additional $250,000 grant to continue her work.
Basnet who is 28, started her career at the age of 21, while she was still an undergraduate in Social Work Studies. During her visit to a prison she was inspired to do something when she saw the bad living standard of children living inside the bars. With her nonprofit organization Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC) currently, she has 50 children living in her shelter, where she provides them with food, clothing, education, medicines and all other basic things. She runs a day care center for the prison children and a residential home for older ones where she provides medical attention for the prison women as well.
On September 20,2012, Basnet was selected in the final list through unanimous Jury decision, winning a $50,000 grant amount for her effort and contributions towards the welfare of children who are behind the bars.
Anuradha Koirala another Social worker of Nepal had bagged the award in the year 2010 with her anti-human trafficking Campaign -Maiti Nepal.
