When We Believe in Children, Everything Changes:
BlinkNow Illuminates the Power of Connection and Community
My journey with Maggie Doyne has been nothing short of magical. We first met three years a goat a signing for her memoir, Between the Mountain and the Sky, and immediately connected over her impact work with children in Nepal. Her story, and the vulnerability with which she shared it, moved me so deeply that I emailed her to offer coaching support whenever she might need it. She sent a beautiful reply, and then, as life goes, we drifted out of touch.
Earlier this year, I felt called to support the new conscious film festival, ILLUMINATE, and reached out to its director, Teana David. She mentioned I could sponsor a film and asked what themes mattered to me. I said, “kindness, love, healing, and social justice.” She began describing a young woman who had moved to Nepal to start a children’s school, and in my disbelief and excitement I interrupted: “Does the title have the word mountain in it?” When she said yes, I knew instantly I was meant to sponsor Maggie’s documentary.
The film played to a full house and went on to win both the Audience Choice Award and the Holo Movie Award. Since then, Maggie and I have become dear friends. The most exciting news is that her film has now qualified for an Oscar, and the team is immersed in the nomination process. I hope you enjoy getting to know this extraordinary woman who is helping shape a kinder world.
ML: What was the inspiration behind BlinkNow?
MD: When I was eighteen, backpacking through Nepal on a gap year, I met a little girl named Hima, who was breaking rocks into gravel with many other children, to sell on a labor site. She looked up at me, grinned, and said, “Namaste, didi!”—big sister. And I thought, “She could be me. I could be her. ”Helping her go to school took only a few dollars, and one small act turned into helping another child, and then another.
But I learned quickly that real change isn’t quick at all—it takes years of listening, learning, and walking alongside a community. With my dear friend Tope, a native of Nepal who I had worked with in India on my volunteer journey, and who had also lost his parents at a young age, we started small. The children’s home grew into a school, a clinic, a lunch program, a women’s center... everything a community builds when it believes its children deserve the world.
ML: What lessons have you learned as a mom and CEO/Co-founder of a nonprofit working in another country?
MD: Caring for children in crisis without addressing the root causes is like mopping the floor while the tap is still running. So, we took a wider approach and collaborated with the community. We built a school. A health center. A garden for healthy school lunches. A women’s center where mothers could learn, earn a living, and feel safe. A home for teenage girls healing from unthinkable trauma. Two paths merging to create sustainable change: caring for children who need a family right now and working to keep families together. As BlinkNow has grown, we have also learned to share our work with others in Nepal and around the world to inspire action in their own communities.
Most of all, I have learned that love multiplies. We’re at ninety (!) kids now-including 50 in the home and 40 graduated young adults who still come home for holidays and family events. We've seen 1000 kids learning and growing at Kopila Valley School. I used to wonder, “Can my love stretch any further? What if it runs out?” But it never does. It just keeps expanding with every child who joins our family.
ML: What are your company’s vision, mission and values?
MD: Our mission is simple and huge: to change the world by empowering Nepal’s children. Our vision and dream is that every single child is safe, educated, and deeply loved.
Our values:
- Gender Equality: Girls and boys have the same opportunities and dignity.
- Sustainability: We model and teach practices for harmony with the land.
- Economic Empowerment: We help children and families end cycles of poverty, in one generation.
ML: How do you put those values into action on a daily basis?
MD: Everything we do overlaps, like a big woven basket, because the thriving of children and the community is so connected. At our school, we enroll as many girls as boys. Our curriculum, as well as our daily living practices, is filled with hands-on sustainability lessons—kids planting seeds, tending compost, learning how to care for the earth that cares for them. And our Futures Program helps teenagers build real skills, write resumes, explore green careers, and even apply for interest-free loans for higher education or small businesses. It all fits together.
ML: How can people find hope and inspiration during these distressing times?
MD: I find hope when I look into a child’s eyes. I see it in their smiles, their love, their excitement. When you watch a child who once struggled for their basic needs grow up to graduate, start a career, and change the story for their whole family... it’s impossible not to believe in the future.
And I hold onto this truth: even with everything going on in the world, we have reduced poverty in our lifetimes. We have seen generosity work. Helping one person matters. Helping one child matters. So, I try to focus on what’s right in front of me—joy, family, togetherness. The small moments keep me steady.
ML: How can readers support the work you are doing with children and follow along?
MD: We’re so grateful for anyone who wants to be part of this journey–thankyou. You can follow us at blinknow.org and on our social channels. And if you’re curious about our documentary, you can find that at www.betweenthemountain.com
But honestly, the best thing you can do for us—and for the world—is to love the people right around you. That’s how change grows, one generous act at a time.
Tolearn more and help Maggie bring her story of love, resilience, and hope to more communities around the world follow her online @maggiedoyne and @blinknoworg.
