Maggie Doyne is a Shining Example of Selfless Devotion #AtoZChallenge

Dr Roshan Radhakrishnan
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After completing high school, Maggie Doyne took a year off before joining college to backpack around the world. Her trip led her to north India and eventually Nepal where she came across a six year old girl surviving on a few rupees a day, earned by breaking and selling stones.

Maggie phoned her parents, asking them to send her all the money she had earned while babysitting - $5000. She spent it helping the young girl and others like her go to school, paying for their fees, uniforms and books.

Then she aimed higher.

To help the orphans and refugees of Nepal's civil war, Maggie started her own non-profit organization, BlinkNow and through those funds, the teenager actually purchased land and built the Kopila Valley Children's Home in Surkhet in 2007 from scratch. Today, she is the guardian and mother to over 50 happy children, living there with them. Her team includes caregivers, cooks and plenty of helpers.

Maggie Doyne built the Kapila Valley Children's Home & later the Kapila Valley School in Nepal - BlinkNow

Then she aimed higher.

Dissatisfied with the standard of education the children were getting, in 2010, she started a school - Kopila Valley School - for the children. Besides education, the students here are provided a nutritious daily meal as well. The school is today ranked first in its region for academic achievement with 50% of its students scoring in the top 1 % nationwide.

Then she aimed higher.


In 2011, the Kopila Valley Health Clinic opened up, focusing on prevention of diseases, primary health care, dental care and mental health services.

Then she aimed higher.


In 2013, the Kopila Valley Woman's Center started, providing literacy and vocational skills to the women of Surkhet.



Maggie Doyne of Blink Now won the Hero of the Year award from CNN Heroes
And then she won.

In 2015, Maggie Doyne - still in her twenties - received the Hero of the Year Award from CNNHeroes. That trophy sits well beside the 2014 Unsung Hero of Compassion Award bestowed by the Dalai Lama and the 2013 Forbes Excellence in Education Award.

Why I want you to remember Maggie Doyne

We all say that we want to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate than us. That statement often comes with a rider - 'if only we had time for it after everything else in life.' But what if we inverted that - what if helping others was the goal and life could wait?

Maggie Doyne, at such a young age, away from the comfort of her home and not knowing the language of the country she stood in, earned the respect of people from a nation-at-war by not just displaying compassion but also combining it with the determination to keep aiming higher.


I won't lie. There is a 'moment of heartbreak' in this video. But there is also 'the solution'... a solution the world needs to hear and understand.

You can find BlinkNow on Facebook here


Maggie Doyne built the Kapila Valley Children's Home & later the Kapila Valley School in Nepal - BlinkNow


This is part of my #AtoZChallenge where I will be focusing on Real Life Heroes: Shining Examples of Kindness and Compassion. You can find other real-life heroes here.

Also, if you are participating in the #AtoZChallenge, do leave the link for your post of the day along with your comments.

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50Comments

Let me know what you think.

  1. What an amazing young woman - I wonder what makes some young people rise so high above the herd and have such a heart for those whose lives are so limited?
    Leanne | cresting the hill

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  2. My english teacher had actually mentioned Doyne in one of our seminars about non-profit organizations. Her character is such an interesting and inspiring one. People like her are the ones that give me hope in humanity.

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    1. Glad to hear she is featured in classes. Definitely deserves to be.

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  3. Maggie is truly a Hero! What's amazing is that she thought of making a difference at such a young age and that too in a foreign country amidst unknown people. Kudos to her and may her tribe increase!

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    1. I know. I keep thinking that I cant imagine a single person in my life or even an Indian personality who would have done it.

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  4. What an amazing person Maggie is!Doing so much, for so many at her age! Hats off to her!
    The real life stories you're sharing are simply amazing, Doc!

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  5. Amazing young woman and yes I concur with your premise to invert the thought! It takes loads of selflessness and love for others to do something like this and she is truly a Hero! So good to read about such goodness in the world.
    Roshan your blog is indeed making blogging world a happy one!! :-)


    Theme: Peregrination Chronicles (travel)
    D is for Dolphin Delight in Goa #atozchallenge

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    1. Thanks Shalz. You and I can think of it in hindsight. Imagine a teenager equipped with such a brilliant idea at that age.

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  6. I am speechless actually...what a beautiful woman...such lives are much more satisfying than the ratraces we all end up running

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    1. exactly. Our ratraces just keep us running around chasing our tails in the end. This is a life lived right

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  7. Selfish as I am, I can never understand the drive such people have... it is so amazing she went on to do what she did!

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    1. hahaha :) I can't see myself doing it either. Which is why she deserves all the applause she gets.

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  8. Man, she's such an inspiration! The video is absolutely heartwarming. Love causes terrible pain but love also heals. Wonderful! Thanks for sharing.

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    1. That video broke me at 'that moment'. I am so happy that love found her.

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  9. The kind of compassion that some people have is inspirational! Wonderful story!

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  10. Wow! She's a true inspiration. Are such people normal human beings? Can a normal person be this selfless?
    Another wonderful story brought to attention by you!

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    1. haha... that is the question. I guess we barely scrape through to the normal category. She comes miles above us as a guardian angel.

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  11. Maggie is a true hero! Thank you for sharing all these real life stories with us, Doc! That video left me teary-eyed!
    Thailand Travel Stories at Kohl Eyed Me
    26 Indian Dishes at Something's Cooking

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  12. Iam glad humanity s still alive through people like her.hats off to her.and u too sir for doing good work

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    1. Thanks Prathima... happy to share such tales.

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  13. It touched my heart, so much! And she's just in her twenties! Awards are just the small stuff, for such a big thing she is doing!

    Cheers
    BoisterousBee

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  14. I love hearing stories like this and would like to help - perhaps by sending money, or spending a few months teaching. She's really impressive and I'm so happy for her.
    Despair #Lexicon of Leaving

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    1. I have placed links to the site in the article. Donations can be sent there.

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  15. Kudos to Young women such as Maggi. not many her age would take up such a noble cause and work towards it . hats off to her. the world needs more such people

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    1. I honestly cant think of anyone her age capable of this!

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  16. Another inspirational story Roshan. I love coming back to your blog as we all need that extra dose of inspiration in our life sometimes.

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  17. What a wonderful person and a wonderful deed. Going above and beyond. Rising above oneself. Its hard to realize that life is not all about YOU. You have a great theme Roshan. More and more people should know such people exist. And that greatness lies when we look beyond ourselves.

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  18. Super achiever & heroine indeed!
    Maggie is such an inspiration! Dreams can turn into reality.
    Great effort, Doc!

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  19. Respect. Who in their teens would even think of doing all that! Most barely have time to look up from their smart phones.

    "if only we had time for it after everything else in life.'" - It really doesn't take much time you know if we actually come down to it? I understand that most won't be of this level - where it becomes a life goal - but taking out a couple of hours on a Saturday - twice a month and helping volunteer at a shelter - it's not that difficult. And yet, we are struggling to find people to come forward. There is a total lack of motivation. Something I just cannot fathom.

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    1. Enough time to fight online :( That is the sad reality. Which is why such women as Maggie should be celebrated and pushed forward so that more people see the good that exists.

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  20. She is such an inspiration. Glad I got to know about her.

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  21. Wow! I got goosebumps all over, just reading about the progress she made! And that she started as a teenager makes it so much more inspiring!
    I couldn't see the video though... it won't play on my browser. Don't know why?
    Happy AtoZing!
    Chicky @ www.mysteriouskaddu.com

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    1. The video is available on Facebook. I just embedded it from there.

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  22. She indeed is a hero! It takes a lot of courage to do what Maggie did! Going to an unknown land and helping people there is no small feat. Doc, your posts each day are really opening my eyes to the fact that there are good people and each one of us can also be the good person by just going a little out of our way.

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  23. Such an amazing woman! She deserves all the awards that come her way.

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  24. Only in her twenties??? Wow, she's such an inspiration!

    Diamante - Lifespan

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  25. Such an inspiration!
    I can't thank you enough for writing these amazing real life stories! :)

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  26. I love the real life hero stories you share. Thx so much - it really feels warm to learn about the existence of such people.

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  27. So young and so noble and such a tough cause Maggie has taken up. Good to know that such people exist in today's world.

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  28. Patience and perseverance are the key to success. While aiming higher you should believe in yourself.

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  29. Indeed it's easier said than done. Coming out of comfort zone and helping others and bringing difference in everyone life is highly appreciated

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  30. Well with these many heroes you cover, I will soon run out my vocabulary I think. At such a young age, this is a phenomenal effort and deed

    PhenoMenon
    http://phenomenalworld.in/valentine2018/

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  31. This is so inspiring.Young people show us ways.

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