Pushpa Basnet

Pushpa Basnet is a social worker and the Founder/President of Early Childhood

Development Center (ECDC) and Butterfy Home, non-proft organizations,
in Kathmandu, Nepal. er organization works to strengthen the rights of children
li!ing "ehind "ars with their incarcerated parents.
Basnet started her career at the age of #$, while she was still an undergraduate
in %ocial &ork. 's part of her college assignment, she !isited the women prison in
Kathmandu. %he was disma(ed when she saw children li!ing with their parents
"ehind the "ars. %he raised )*,*** rupees +roughl( ,--./ from her close friends
and sister, and started a non-proft organization -0he 1arl( 2hildhood 3e!elopment
2enter +1232/ to pro!ide a da( care program to the children, in #**..
4n #**), she opened a residential home for kids to li!e outside the prison (ear round
while still !isiting their mothers on holida(s. 0oda(, she has assisted more than $**
children of incarcerated parents. %he runs a da( care center for the prison children
and a residential home for older ones. %he has also helped to pro!ide alternati!e
residence, school enrollment, free meals and medical care to them.
4n #**5, sponsored "( 2hangeFusion Nepal, she started a program to coach parents
to make handicrafts inside the cell. 0he main o"6ecti!e of the program is to make
the female prisoners as well as former prisoners to "ecome in!ol!ed in income
generating acti!ities through which the( can sustain their li!elihood and contri"ute
towards raising their children.
%he, along with her organization, coordinate with prison administrators to rescue
children "ehind "ars throughout ur"an and rural areas of Nepal, and help them
"reak the c(cle of crime and po!ert(.
7ecognizing her e8ort as the frst of a kind in Nepal, man( local organizations ha!e
pledged their help to raise fund for Basnet. 9a6or donations for Basnet:s
organization has come from 0he ;lasswaters Foundation, %hiksh(a Foundation
Nepal and %undar %ansar. 0he center collects donations through !arious fund
raising programs and indi!idual donations.
7ecentl(, a local organization helped raise <)*,*** rupees +roughl( ,=,>**/ for her
organization through !arious national and international donation programs.
Pushpa Basnet has "een awarded with 2NN ero 'ward #*$#, which was held at
the %hrine 'uditorium in ?os 'ngeles, 2alifornia, on %unda(, # 3ecem"er. 'cadem(
'ward winning actress %usan %arandon presented Basnet with the award. 0he show
was aired ?4@1 through 2NN.