Maggie Doyne — Why the human family can do better
January 13, 2011 10:46 AM   Subscribe

Not a Dry Eye in the House. Maggie Doyne — Why the human family can do better. Maggie's story, and Maggie's blog: Life at Kopila Valley Children's Home. Instead of going home to the States to start her University education, Maggie decided there were more urgent things that needed doing right there and then in Nepal. More background and story from NJ.com..
posted by thisisdrew (9 comments total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
Thanks for this post. I read about Ms. Doyne some while back on the back of a cereal box (promoting young folks to "get out and do something!") I thought it was only a program put on by the cereal company, but it looks like the not-for profit is looking to reach more people through pop culture (link to Wikipedia, info per Do Something.org). Lots of good things happening, especially Maggie's work.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:12 AM on January 13, 2011


So many people, when confronted with children working in terrible conditions, say "I wish I could do something about this." I know I certainly have. Maggie Doyne said the same thing, but she didn't just think about making a change. She actually did it.

I like these stories, but it also makes me wonder. Are the people of Nepal so utterly useless that they cannot do something to change their own condition themselves? I mean, if a 20-something foreigner can come in and "make a change" what the hell have the 30-something Nepalese been doing for the last decade?
posted by three blind mice at 11:28 AM on January 13, 2011


Whoa. I went to Middle/High School with her. Nice to know that something good came out of my hometown...

(And, horray for Non-slacktivism! Wish I had the cajones to drop everything, and do something good for the world...)
posted by schmod at 11:28 AM on January 13, 2011


I like these stories, but it also makes me wonder. Are the people of Nepal so utterly useless that they cannot do something to change their own condition themselves? I mean, if a 20-something foreigner can come in and "make a change" what the hell have the 30-something Nepalese been doing for the last decade?

I expect she has a major advantage in being able to leverage her connections in the United States, and by serving as a more approachable face to the issues in a remote country.
posted by martin10bones at 11:37 AM on January 13, 2011 [1 favorite]


I mean, if a 20-something foreigner can come in and "make a change" what the hell have the 30-something Nepalese been doing for the last decade?

Earning U.S. dollars, basically. Which, I imagine, would be hard for someone outside the U.S. to do.

I read about Doyne's story as part of a New York Times piece earlier this year -- one reason why she was able to get this off the ground was by cashing in a trust fund or some other similar nest egg to get the money to do this in the first place. She's absolutely to be commended for doing that, of course; but that's certainly one reason why she was able to do something where others failed -- the fact that that nest egg was there in the first place.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:37 AM on January 13, 2011 [1 favorite]


I like these stories, but it also makes me wonder. Are the people of Nepal so utterly useless that they cannot do something to change their own condition themselves? I mean, if a 20-something foreigner can come in and "make a change" what the hell have the 30-something Nepalese been doing for the last decade?

I agree with your sentiment a lot of the time (it reeks of colonialism), but probably not in this case. Maggie's efforts have focused on teaching and care of orphans in communities that do not otherwise have the resources to provide good schools and care for abandoned children, given that they often have more pressing needs. The people of Nepal are not helpless -- however, they are in many cases spread too thin. Maggie's attracted people and money to help address some of the concerns that she's encountered.

Similarly, unlike the multitude of spring-break "Service Trips" that seem to be in vogue these days, Maggie's in this for the long-run. (I think this is her 6th year doing this?)

It doesn't solve the overarching problems affecting the "third world," but I have no doubt that her efforts are highly appreciated in the communities where she works.

I am an obvious and extremely biased source. See my comment above. Maggie's a sweet girl, and I wish her all the best in her endeavors. My hometown was a rotting hellhole of a wealthy New York City exurb, and it's nice to see that at least one of us has gone on to do something overwhelmingly positive for the world.
posted by schmod at 11:38 AM on January 13, 2011


I read about Doyne's story as part of a New York Times piece earlier this year -- one reason why she was able to get this off the ground was by cashing in a trust fund or some other similar nest egg to get the money to do this in the first place.

Sorry to dominate this thread, but citation please?

The NYT article you mentioned (or maybe it was this one does not mention this, and actually offers a bit of information to the contrary. I can personally attest that she did not come from a wealthy family. She may have cashed in some small amount of college savings or inheritance to fund her initial travels, but there's no way that she was a trust fund baby.

So, um. Stop shitting on a good thing, m'kay?
posted by schmod at 11:47 AM on January 13, 2011


three blind mice: "Are the people of Nepal so utterly useless that they cannot do something to change their own condition themselves? I mean, if a 20-something foreigner can come in and "make a change" what the hell have the 30-something Nepalese been doing for the last decade?"

Civil war for the most part.
posted by boo_radley at 11:49 AM on January 13, 2011


Schmod: no threadshitting intended, my apologies for a poor word choice. I was indeed referring to that college savings you're talking about.

But my point was that, even as little as it was, it was more than the average guy-who'd-lived-in-Nepal-his-whole-life probably had to hand, and that explains why, as three blind mice asked, "the 30-year-old Nepali guys" may not have been able to get quite so far on their own steam. It's not a value judgement against either her or your average Nepali citizen; it's just an observation of the fact that this "20-something foreigner" had some more resources than the locals did. That's all.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:54 AM on January 13, 2011


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