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| Pushpa Bsnet |
Inside the compound of her Butterfly Home at Budhanilkantha, Pushpa is seen playing along with a child. She runs around trying to catch him, and as she fails to do so, it results in a spurt of laughter. Moving toward the porch, she then takes a moment to nurse three-month-old Pushpanjali which she cheerfully explains is a name chosen by other children. It is truly amazing to witness how a young lady herself manages to look after all the kids without a flaw. And her sense of humor is not to be missed as it is something that spreads a positive vibe in the house.
Pushpa’s journey goes back to 2004 when a college field visit to the Central Jail at Sundhara prompted her to do something for the kids.
Sanu Kaanchhi, the first kid she took under her care, was just eight months old then and now she is eight years old and studies in second grade.
Along with her, other kids too have been provided with an opportunity to live a normal childhood. Since she initiated to open the Early Childhood Development Centre (ECDC), she moved on to establish a residential home and so far has helped more than 100 children of incarcerated parents from around 14 prisons from even as far as Jajarkot, Dang and Surkhet.
Pushpa admits that when she began her journey at 21, she never imagined she would come this far. It was her selflessness put together with her hard work and determination that has brought her in a position where she can look back with a sense of pride.
The lady has proven that hard work pays off by winning the title of CNN Hero 2012, leaving behind nine other heroes from various countries who were rigorously selected from among 10,000 social workers who participated in the competition from around
the globe.
Earning the title has been an overwhelming experience for this social worker who has seen both good days and suffered the hardships at times when she was out of funds. She has sacrificed her personal life as she is busy tending the kids 24/7, and till date she does not have a glint of regret.
“The kids are my life and there’s nothing as a personal or professional life for me because I live for them,” says Pushpa.
Her journey however does not stop here as she believes that she has more to achieve in the future. The Week caught up with the lady to talk more about her experiences and feats.
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
How do you feel after receiving the title of the CNN Hero?
I feel ecstatic and I’m finding it hard to find the right words to describe the feeling that I got after winning the title. Along with me, all the ten nominees were apprehensive and hoping to get the title. But to achieve something like that feels out of this world. When they called out my name on the big day, I was really nervous and most people could’ve seen that I was totally out of words and didn’t know how to react. As I got the award, I held on to it for a few seconds just to make sure that it was real because it felt like a dream to me. Apart from that, I was really happy and it felt good to represent my country out there.
How did you first venture into social work?
I got enrolled into the Bachelors program in fieldwork due to the curriculum as it required two days of fieldwork as part of social service every week. As a student, my fieldwork was to be at the police station. Since I hadn’t been to any jail, I requested the then Inspector Mira Chaudhary to take me inside the jail to just have a look. I was really disheartened to see small innocent kids with their mothers in the jail and that incident changed my life forever. I then felt that I should do something. I see myself to be fortunate enough as there are kids who can’t even complain and whatever the parents have to suffer, they too have to go through the same thing. That’s how I thought I should do something for them.
How has your journey been like since the days when you initiated to start the daycare centre?When I look back, I had never imagined that it would turn out to be this big. It’s indeed a tough job to run any sort of organization. When we started a daycare centre for the first time in 2005, my team and I were very passionate about our work and what we wanted to do. I still have the same motivation in me like those days though my life has changed in so many ways.
What disappointments did you face along your journey?I wasn’t a good student and even was suspended for a year during my college days. But I feel that whatever happens in life happens for better. When I look back, I feel that everything was meant to be something and I’m happy to take life as it comes. This is the fourth place we’ve shifted to and though we’ve achieved a lot in so many senses, the struggle is always there. It’s just that you’ve to manage and find your way out.
Knowing what you know now after gaining a lot of experiences, would you change anything?
No, I wouldn’t change a thing because I’m happy to be where I am today. Experience is life’s greatest lesson and my experiences have taught me a lot. There are many things that didn’t happen in the process of my journey but that didn’t let me giving up on anything and I tried my best. My father was a bit hesitant at first to see me take up such a huge responsibility. But later, seeing my passion for the kids, he understood my dream, and my family has been very supportive throughout.
How has the response of the parents of the kids who are under your care been like so far?Currently at the daycare program near Sundhara, there are nine children mostly aged up to four years, and the kids at the residential home are aged between three months to 17 years old. The parents have trusted me with their kids, so they have depended on me that way and it feels really good. They weren’t fortunate enough to look after their kids in a proper way, so I can see that they have confidence in me. There is a lady who came out of jail and is currently working in Dubai. When I received the title of CNN Hero,
she called to congratulate me. So, to get warm responses like that is surely
overwhelming.
Do you think that the government should do something for the prison kids?I feel that we can’t always blame the government for everything. There are times when you have to think about what you can give back to the society. As we all know, our government is quite busy in managing its own issues. If we just wait and wish for things to happen, then there’ll be no effective results any time soon. It’s therefore better if we can find solutions to the problems. If we just stay idle and crib about the problems, then nothing’s going to change ever. So it’s better to take your own initiative in any small way you can.
How do you think that things have changed after getting the title?The title in itself is a huge responsibility, especially to get it at this age, as I still need to prove a lot. I would like to take it slowly as I don’t want to rush into things. People will expect more from you and maybe they would want all the children from all of the prisons to be out. But I think it’ll take some time and things will work out gradually. You can’t expect to change or reform the whole society in a day but should take it slowly, and I would like to take small steps at a time.
What’s your immediate plan?I’ll definitely continue to work for the kids and on this issue. I also look forward and am planning to build a house for the kids with the grant I received and work for their best. I believe that if you believe in your dreams, you should go for it.
No matter what people may say, just follow your heart.
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