Maggie Doyne

Maggie Doyne grew up in Mendham, New Jersey. 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.^[1][2] 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.^[3] 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.^[4]

As of 2011, there were 35 children living in Doyne's Kopila Valley orphanage and over 230 children attending Kopila Valley Primary School.^[5] Doyne also created the Blinknow Foundation to encourage and enable other young people to volunteer in developing countries.

She has received numerous awards and commendations for her work including: 2009 Grand Prize Winner of the Do Something Awards^[6] and CosmoGirl of the Year 2008.^[7]

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.^[8]

References

1. ^ "Change Generation: Maggie Doyne, Founder & Director, Kopila Valley Children's Home". Fast Company. 2010-11-04. http://www.fastcompany.com/1700179/maggie-doyne-kopila-valley-childrens-home-change-generation. Retrieved 2011-02-25. 
2. ^ An, Vickie (2009-06-05). "She's Changing the World". Time for Kids. http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/news/story/0,28277,1903090,00.html. Retrieved 2011-02-25. 
3. ^ "Nepal’s Civil War and its Impact". Nepali World News. http://nepaliworldnews.com/page.php?id=42. Retrieved 2011-02-25. 
4. ^ Randeep Ramesh. "Nepal's children suffer in civil war". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/jul/26/nepal. Retrieved 2011-02-25. 
5. ^ "Life at Kopila Valley Children's Home - About Maggie Doyne". Blinknow.org. http://blinknow.org/about-maggie-doyne/. Retrieved 2011-02-25. 
6. ^ "The 2009 $100,000 Grand Prize Winner". Do Something. http://www.dosomething.org/awards/2009-winners. Retrieved 2011-02-25. 
7. ^ "Winning beauty: CosmoGirl of the year, Maggie Doyne". CosmoGirl!. 2008-12-01. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-191020332.html. Retrieved 2011-02-25. 
8. ^ Belkin, Lisa (2010-10-22). "When A Child Moves to Nepal". Nytimes.com. http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/22/when-a-child-moves-to-nepal/#more-16191. Retrieved 2011-02-25. 

External links

• Blinknow.org
• The New York Times Magazine, The DIY Way
• The New York Times Magazine, D.I.Y Foreign-Aid Revolution
• The Do Lectures, Maggie Doyne 2010 Talk
• Fast Company, Change Generation: Maggie Doyne, Founder & Director, Kopila Valley Children's Home
• The Huffington Post, New Jersey 20-Year-Old Builds Orphanage in Nepal
• Time Magazine for Kids, She's Changing the World