Pushpa Basnet

Pushpa Basnet is a Nepalese social worker and the founder and president of two non-profit organizations in Kathmandu, Nepal: the Early Childhood Development Center and the Butterfly Home. Her organizations focus on strengthening the rights of children living in prison with their incarcerated parents. Basnet began her career at age 21, while studying social work at St. Xavier's College, Kathmandu. A college assignment brought her to a women's prison, where she discovered children living with their parents behind bars. Motivated by this experience, Basnet raised 70,000 rupees (approximately $885) from friends and family to start the Early Childhood Development Center, which provides a daycare program for these children.

Basnet's initial efforts included launching a five-day-a-week daycare for children under six years old, allowing them to leave jail during the day to participate in educational and recreational activities. She later established the Butterfly Home, a residential facility offering a family environment and alternative residence for older children. The organizations also provide school enrollment, free meals, medical care, and a youth support program focused on vocational training.

Basnet faced significant challenges, including gaining the trust of incarcerated parents and rebuilding the Butterfly Home after it was damaged by an earthquake. Despite these obstacles, her mission has remained focused on systemic reform in Nepal's justice system, working to provide alternatives for children living in prison.

Basnet received international recognition as a CNN Hero, an honor awarded at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. The Early Childhood Development Center received a $250,000 grant to continue its work. Basnet was later named a CNN Superhero during the 10th anniversary of the CNN Heroes campaign.

Her work has been featured in the documentary "Waiting for Mamu," produced by Reframed Pictures, and she has presented at TEDxGateway in Mumbai, discussing the developmental impact of prison environments on children. Basnet has also received the Young ILGA Award from the ILGA Foundation of South Korea and the Gorkha Dakshinabahu from the President of Nepal. Known as "Mamu" by the children in her care, Basnet's efforts have contributed to global awareness of children's rights, prison reform, and social work in Nepal.