Anuradha Koirala has been chosen the CNN Hero of the Year 2010.
Koirala was among the top 10 CNN Heroes of the Year and was voted the Hero of the Year through an online voting system that ran for eight weeks on CNN’s site. She has been recognised for her work against human trafficking through her organisation Maiti Nepal.
Anuradha Koirala started Maiti Nepal with two rooms in 1993. Seventeen years later, Maiti Nepal now has outreach in 29 districts, and a global network of supporters. The institution is at the forefront in rescuing and rehabilitating victims of trafficking and has rescued over 12,000 girls so far.
Anderson Cooper, CNN’s primary anchor, revealed her name at the finale, CNN Heroes: An All Star Tribute, on Saturday night.
“Human trafficking is a crime, a heinous crime, a shame to humanity,” Koirala said after being introduced as one of the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2010. “I ask everyone to join me to create a society free of trafficking. We need to do this for all our daughters.”
Koirala will receive $100,000 in addition to the $25,000 awarded to each of the top 10 Heroes honored Saturday night.
Read Anuradha Koirala’s interview with Nepali Times, a week before she was announced the CNN Hero of the Year.
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Congratulations to Anuradha ‘didi’ for your noble deeds! You brought light to the darkness and hope in the midst of despair. You upheld the glorious flag of our Motherland once again as high as Mt. Everest. Let others learn from you- a true Hero- a role model for Nepal and the entire world. Let the young generation of our Great Nation learn once and for ever that we can overcome evil and live as a free and civilized nation among the community of nations. Let the Land of The Buddha offer the best hope to the world. We certainly need courageous leaders like you.