Pushpa Basnet and children in her shelter. Photo courtesy of CNN.

In Nepal the children of parents who are incarcerated can be put in jail as well if there is no legal guardian to  care for them.

Seven years ago Pushpa Basnet, who was then a social work undergraduate student, visited a prison and was upset by the conditions these children lived in.

So she created a shelter to provide these children with housing, food, clothing, medicine, education and other services, this CNN article said.

CNN named Basnet one of its 10 Heroes of the Year in a Los Angeles ceremony on Dec. 2.

She is the second social worker from Nepal to be named Hero of Year. Anuradha Koirala won the prize in 2010 for anti-human trafficking work.

CNN said Basnet, 28, will receive a $50,000 grant to continue her work.

Social workers help children ovecome life’s hurdles. To learn more click here to visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Kids and Families website by clicking here.