Maggie Doyne

Maggie Doyne (born c. 1987) is an American philanthropist who has been recognized for her work helping to develop an orphanage and school in the Kopila Valley of Nepal after spending time in that country during a gap year after completing high school.

Doyne grew up in Mendham Borough, New Jersey[1] and attended West Morris Mendham High School.[2] In 2005, following her graduation from high school, she undertook a 'gap year' of travel with the organization Leapnow.org. During that trip, she visited Nepal where in 2006 she used $5,000 in money she had saved from babysitting to open up an orphanage in Surkhet.[3][4] She subsequently built, opened up and manages the Kopila Valley Primary School, also in Surkhet.

When Doyne first visited Nepal in 2006, the Nepalese Civil War had just ended. During the war over 12,000 people were killed and over 100,000 were displaced. The country was left impoverished and struggling for recovery.[5] Amnesty International noted that the war was devastating for Nepalese children. According to their report, Children Caught in Conflict, children were the victims of violence, murder, imprisonment and rape. Many children were also recruited to be soldiers by both sides of the conflict.[6]

Doyne was inspired by a six-year-old girl named Hima, who was breaking stones in a dry riverbed and selling them to earn a few dollars to feed her family, and was barely surviving. Doyne helped Hima go to school, paying for her tuition, uniform, and books. Then she helped a few more children, then a few more. She started working on the dream of building a safe, clean, stable home for these children. She fundraised and worked to create this home. Doyne purchased land in Surkhet, Nepal. The project was supported by the local Nepalese community – led by BlinkNow Co-Founder Top Bahadur Malla – along with an emerging group of supporters from Doyne's hometown of Mendham, New Jersey, and others around the world. In 2008, the front door of Kopila Valley Children’s Home opened. Kopila, which means “flower bud,” opened as a home to 44 children who did not have any family to take care of them.

Doyne has received numerous awards and commendations for her work including: 2009 Grand Prize Winner of the Do Something Awards[7] and CosmoGirl of the Year 2008.[8]

Family

Doyne's parents are Steve and Nancy Doyne. After she was born, her father quit his job as the manager of a natural food store to be a stay-at-home dad, while Nancy Doyne worked in real estate. Maggie has two sisters: older sister Kate and younger sister Libby.[9]

Kopila valley school

In 2010, the Kopila Valley Primary School opened. The school initially had 220 students, and has been expanding since. Many of these children are the first in their families to attend school.[10] The students are provided health care and a daily nutritious meal. As of 2011, there were 30 children living in Doyne's Kopila Valley orphanage and over 230 children attending Kopila Valley Primary School.[11] Doyne also created the Blinknow Foundation to encourage and enable other young people to volunteer in developing countries.

Doyle continues to work to expand the school, with a future goal of providing health care and dental care to the children. [12]

References

  1. ↑ Mooney, Gail. "Maggie in the USA on the Fourth of July", Opening Our Eyes, July 6, 2011. Accessed December 1, 2013. "This year the award went to Maggie Doyne. Brookside is in Mendham Township, so technically, Maggie isn’t a resident because she lives in the next town over, Mendham Borough."
  2. ↑ Garber, Phil. "After A Break, Flame Still Burning Brightly For Mendham's Maggie Doyne", Observer-Tribune, September 6, 2013. Accessed December 1, 2013 ."The innocent edge is gone from Maggie Doyne’s face. No longer the 18-year-old Mendham High School graduate who set out to change the world, Doyne is a woman who has achieved more in eight years than most do in 88 years."
  3. ↑ "Change Generation: Maggie Doyne, Founder & Director, Kopila Valley Children's Home". Fast Company. 2010-11-04. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
  4. ↑ An, Vickie (2009-06-05). "She's Changing the World". Time for Kids. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
  5. ↑ "Nepal’s Civil War and its Impact". Nepali World News. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
  6. ↑ Randeep Ramesh (2005-07-26). "Nepal's children suffer in civil war". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
  7. ↑ "The 2009 $100,000 Grand Prize Winner". Do Something. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
  8. ↑ "Winning beauty: CosmoGirl of the year, Maggie Doyne". CosmoGirl!. 2008-12-01. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
  9. ↑ Belkin, Lisa (2010-10-22). "When A Child Moves to Nepal". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
  10. ↑ http://www.blinknow.org/pages/our-history
  11. ↑ "Life at Kopila Valley Children's Home - About Maggie Doyne". Blinknow.org. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
  12. ↑ "Kopila valley school". indeeverpost. 2015-04-18.

External links