Our History
BlinkNow traces its roots back to a simple story of human connection. Now we’re an international community of people focused on building a world where every child is safe, educated, and loved.
THE JOURNEY TO KOPILA VALLEY
After Maggie Doyne’s senior year of high school, as her friends headed to college, the 18-year-old boarded a plane in New Jersey and set off to see the world with just her backpack and eyes wide open. Four countries and 20,000 miles later, she found herself trekking through the Himalayas and walking along the dirt roads of Nepal’s most poverty-stricken villages.
There, Maggie got to know a little six-year-old girl, one of the hundreds of struggling children she met on her journey. This little girl was breaking stones in a dry riverbed and selling them to earn a few dollars to feed her family. She was doing grueling work and faced profound challenges, yet a glimmer of light shined deep within. Maggie was shocked by what she saw and decided to take action.
What have we done as a human family that our children are living this way? More importantly, what can be done to reverse the course? Maggie got to work. She resolved to help this one little girl go to school, paying for her tuition, uniform, and books. Then she helped a few more children, then a few more. But some of the children Maggie was working with needed more than just financial support: they needed a place to call home.
A TRUE DREAM HOME
Over the next two years, working hand-in-hand with local community, the dream of building a safe, clean, stable home became a reality. Maggie and her co-founder Top Malla purchased land in Surkhet, Nepal, with her life savings of $5,000. The home’s foundation was soon poured thanks to the deep commitment of the local Nepalese community, along with an emerging group of supporters from Maggie’s hometown of Mendham, New Jersey and around the world. Brick by brick, walls began to rise. The roof went up. And in 2008, the front door of Kopila Valley Children’s Home opened.
Kopila, which means “flower bud,” is now home to a family of over 40 beautiful, happy, thriving children. Top heads up our dedicated team of caregivers, cooks, “aunties,” and “uncles” who make sure all the kids are getting the kind of care and individualized support they deserve.
SCHOOL IS IN SESSION
In 2010, another dream came true: the Kopila Valley School. The primary school, built out of locally harvested bamboo, provided a high quality education to children from Surkhet and surrounding areas. In 2018, Kopila Valley’s new green school opened, making good on BlinkNow’s commitment to sustainability as a core organizational value. Many children at Kopila Valley are the first in their families to ever attend school, creating a new generation of literate, educated students who will become empowered adults. Our all-Nepali faculty and staff make sure each and every child is set up for success.
Beyond schooling, the students are provided health care and a daily nutritious meal, as well as a sense of community and confidence that grows with each passing year.
A FOUNDATION FOR THE FUTURE
At BlinkNow, we believe that every child has a right to a safe home, medical care, a quality education and love. We know that when kids get the support they deserve, they will grow up to be adults prepared to tackle the challenges of poverty and violence in our world. We’re working every day to make sure our kids get what they need to build healthy, stable lives so they can be leaders in their communities, their country, and the world.