OUR HISTORY
Our journey starts on a dry riverbed in the foothills of the Himalayas, where one young woman decided to help one young girl, hoping to make one small difference. In the blink of an eye – and with a lot of hard work from a lot of people – that hope turned into a home, a school, and a community dedicated to building a world where children are safe, educated, and loved..
2005
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...
2006
While exploring Surkhet, Maggie's life changed as she met a seven-year-old girl named Hima. This little girl was breaking stones in a dry riverbed and selling them to earn a few...
2006
As Maggie felt compelled to find answers for the children of Nepal, she began building relationships within the community. Learning all she could and working to discover the solutions...
2007
Maggie forms a Kopila Valley Board of Directors and, with Tope Malla, establishes a Nepali NGO. Later in 2007, BlinkNow is incorporated as a US nonprofit with a US Board of Directors....
2007
In June of 2007, we break ground on the Kopila Valley Children’s Home. Working hand-in-hand with local community, the dream of building a safe, clean, stable home became a reality....
2008
Kopila Valley Children’s home takes its first child into care. Kopila, which means “flower bud,” will continue to grow over the years, providing a home to beautiful, happy, thriving...
2009
Maggie wins Cosmo Girls of the Year and uses the funding to expand the home and the number of children expands to 30. Later in the same year, Maggie wins the Do Something Award,...
2010
Kopila Valley School opens its doors. The primary school, built out of locally harvested bamboo, provided a high quality education to children from Surkhet and surrounding areas....
2011
The Kopila Valley Clinic is established to provide a basic level of health care to our students who would otherwise not have access to preventative care. This allows our students...
2013
Kopila Valley Women’s Empowerment Center is established as a center for the women of Surkhet to gather, learn, and gain skills for success, building their economic independenc...
2014
Construction begins on the new green campus with a clear focus on sustainability. The campus was designed with sustainability in mind, with solar panels, rainwater harvesting,...
2014
BlinkNow Future’s Program is established to successfully transition our children in the home and school into their next phase of life. Our Futures Center is home to research materials,...
2015
BlinkNow graduates its first class of 10th graders and establishes a scholarship program for graduates to continue their education in their chosen fields.
2015
2017
Our first Kopila graduates head to university, including one to the US on a full scholarship. The goal of our Futures Program is to prepare our graduates for the path that is right...
2017
The doors of a Big Sisters 'Home for at-risk girls open, providing a safe place for girls who are identified as being at risk of dropping out of school, early marriage, or other...
2019
Kopila Valley School celebrates the grand opening of it's green campus. Kopila Valley’s new green school opened, making good on BlinkNow’s commitment to sustainability as a core...
2019
The Early Childhood Village is completed and Kopila Valley expands to provide high quality care for infants, toddlers, and preschool children.
2020
The BlinkNow team becomes first responders in a migrant crisis and provides humanitarian aid to those affected by the Covid pandemic. We served our community throughout the government-mandated...
2005
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...
2006
While exploring Surkhet, Maggie's life changed as she met a seven-year-old girl named Hima. This little girl was breaking stones in a dry riverbed and selling them to earn a few...
2006
As Maggie felt compelled to find answers for the children of Nepal, she began building relationships within the community. Learning all she could and working to discover the solutions...
2007
Maggie forms a Kopila Valley Board of Directors and, with Tope Malla, establishes a Nepali NGO. Later in 2007, BlinkNow is incorporated as a US nonprofit with a US Board of Directors....
2007
In June of 2007, we break ground on the Kopila Valley Children’s Home. Working hand-in-hand with local community, the dream of building a safe, clean, stable home became a reality....
2008
Kopila Valley Children’s home takes its first child into care. Kopila, which means “flower bud,” will continue to grow over the years, providing a home to beautiful, happy, thriving...
2009
Maggie wins Cosmo Girls of the Year and uses the funding to expand the home and the number of children expands to 30. Later in the same year, Maggie wins the Do Something Award,...
2010
Kopila Valley School opens its doors. The primary school, built out of locally harvested bamboo, provided a high quality education to children from Surkhet and surrounding areas....
2010
Nick Kristof’s article “Do it Yourself Foreign Aid” features Maggie and BlinkNow on the cover of the NYT Sunday Magazine, marking our first national news story. This was a turning...
2011
The Kopila Valley Clinic is established to provide a basic level of health care to our students who would otherwise not have access to preventative care. This allows our students...
2012
Kopila Valley School gets their first school bus. This will make it easier and safer for our students to get to and from school, and will allow our students to live in more remote...
2013
Kopila Valley Women’s Empowerment Center is established as a center for the women of Surkhet to gather, learn, and gain skills for success, building their economic independenc...
2013
A beautiful plot of land is purchased to create a permanent home for Kopila Valley School. A deep well is dug on the new land. Farming begins on the land.
2014
Construction begins on the new green campus with a clear focus on sustainability. The campus was designed with sustainability in mind, with solar panels, rainwater harvesting,...
2014
Social worker helps to establish a mental health program at Kopila, providing services to our students and their families. Just one more step towards supporting the whole child...
2014
Surkhet is hit by a catastrophic flood. The BlinkNow team acts as first responders, using our campus as a safe haven for those impacted by the disaster. Many of our KVS families...
2014
BlinkNow Future’s Program is established to successfully transition our children in the home and school into their next phase of life. Our Futures Center is home to research materials,...
2015
BlinkNow graduates its first class of 10th graders and establishes a scholarship program for graduates to continue their education in their chosen fields.
2015
2016
Kopila Valley School expands to offer a new “Plus Two” management program. This course is a wonderful track for students to follow who wish to pursue higher education at the university...
2017
Our first Kopila graduates head to university, including one to the US on a full scholarship. The goal of our Futures Program is to prepare our graduates for the path that is right...
2017
The doors of a Big Sisters 'Home for at-risk girls open, providing a safe place for girls who are identified as being at risk of dropping out of school, early marriage, or other...
2017
Women’s center graduates form their own cooperative. This provides another level of opportunity for the graduates of our Women's Center, and a platform for which they are able...
2019
Kopila Valley School celebrates the grand opening of it's green campus. Kopila Valley’s new green school opened, making good on BlinkNow’s commitment to sustainability as a core...
2019
The Early Childhood Village is completed and Kopila Valley expands to provide high quality care for infants, toddlers, and preschool children.
2020
The BlinkNow team becomes first responders in a migrant crisis and provides humanitarian aid to those affected by the Covid pandemic. We served our community throughout the government-mandated...
2021
Family Development Program is launched to provide specialized support to families in our Kopila Valley Community. Identified by members of our Health & Wellness team, we began...
2022
Maggie’s memoir, Between the Mountain and the Sky is published, helping tell the story of BlinkNow's incredible history and reaching new audiences. Maggie then travels across the...
2022
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...
Stories from our history
How did we go from a teenager with a backpack to a successful foundation and beacon of hope for the children and women of Kopila Valley? By planting a seed at the source of the problem and growing deep roots within the community. 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. These are the stories you’ve helped make possible.
This story is only just beginning.
Kopila Valley was born and soon blossomed into BlinkNow, a nonprofit foundation serving an ever-growing, ever-inspiring community in Surkhet, Nepal. Our history is an unlikely tale. Our mission is to change the world by empowering Nepal’s youth. We’ve already done so much together. Now is the time to get involved and add your voice.
