BlinkNow Foundation

BlinkNow Foundation (BlinkNow) is a nonprofit organization that operates a globally recognized school and children's home in Surkhet, Nepal. Founded by Maggie Doyne when she was 19 years old, BlinkNow has been recognized as an example of "DIY philanthropy."[1]

BlinkNow Foundation
Founded2007
FounderMaggie Doyne
Region served
Surkhet, Nepal
Websiteblinknow.org

Programs

On its campus in Surkhet, BlinkNow's Kopila Valley School provides tuition-free education from preschool to 12th grade for more than 400 students from under-resourced backgrounds and employs more than 100 teachers and support staff.[2] The organization's children's home provides shelter, nutrition, and support for orphans and other at-risk children. The campus also features a health clinic and women's center.

Sustainability

BlinkNow identifies sustainability as one of its core values. In 2017, the organization opened a new campus for its Kopila Valley School which it has billed as "the greenest school in Nepal."[3] The campus features rammed earth walls that are nearly half a meter thick[4] in addition to multiple solar power generation and rainwater collection and recycling systems.[3] In 2019, BlinkNow was named a finalist for the Zayed Sustainability Prize in the Global High Schools category.[5]

Notable Supporters

BlinkNow received widespread attention after its founder, Maggie Doyne, was selected as CNN Hero of the Year in 2015. In 2016, author Elizabeth Gilbert shared a video of herself singing a karaoke version of Bonnie Tyler's “Total Eclipse of the Heart” to raise money for the organization after learning Doyne was in part inspired by her memoir Eat, Pray, Love.[6] In August 2019, the organization was featured by Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, on their Instagram feed along with other organizations including the Earth Day Network and Children International.[7]

References
  1. Kristof, Nicholas (20 October 2010). "How to Change the World". New York Times. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  2. Wang, Lucy (10 April 2019). "Rammed earth Kopila Valley School is the "greenest school in Nepal"". Inhabitat. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  3. "How BlinkNow Built Nepal's Greenest School". Reimagine Education (38). Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  4. Teo, Sheilin (24 May 2019). "Starting Nepal's green school movement". Nepali Times. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  5. "Zayed Sustainability Prize reveals 30 finalists across five categories". Zayed Sustainability Prize. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  6. La Gorce, Tammy (3 June 2016). "An 'Eat Pray Love' Story That Built a Children's Home in Nepal". New York Times. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  7. May, Melanie (16 August 2019). "Duke & Duchess of Sussex choose Instagram to show support for good causes". UK Fundraising. Retrieved 23 September 2019.


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