SINGAPORE — Pushpa Basnet wants you to know it’s safe to visit Nepal again.

“Things are back to normal. The streets are fine and we’re very happy to see travellers coming back because it means a lot to Nepalese,” said Basnet, who was named CNN Hero Of The Year in 2012.

Basnet is on a one-woman crusade to save Nepalese kids left in jail. It was a mission she embarked upon a decade ago when, while on study trip as part of her social work course in university, she discovered how kids as young as eight months were stuck in prison with their incarcerated parents. Since then, she’s been tirelessly taking in these “prison children”, and providing them with food and education, even building the Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC) to provide a day care programme for them.

She is currently in Singapore to help promote her documentary, Waiting For Mamu, which will be screened at The Projector today, with the proceeds from the tickets going to fund her new centre, The Butterfly Home. The 2013 documentary, which counts film-maker Morgan Spurlock and Hollywood star Susan Sarandon as executive producers, has helped raise funds for the building of The Butterfly Home. But disaster struck this April with the quake.

“Sixty per cent of our house was destroyed by the Nepal quake — we had to sleep in the fields outside, in a greenhouse, without even a tin roof,” Basnet recounted. But the resilient 30-year-old took it in her stride. “What are you going to do? It was a natural disaster. I’m just glad it wasn’t completed yet when it happened and none of our kids were there. We built it once, we’ll build it again.”

Basnet found help in the form of director Thomas Morgan, who was first moved to make a film about her story when he met her at an event in the United States when she was there to receive her CNN Hero Award. In the wake of the quake, Morgan gave away the rights of the film for free to anyone who wants screen the movie to raise funds for Basnet and the other victims.

“It was great — we had 31 screenings going on in four continents to raise funds,” he said. “They were held at yoga centres, in schools and in community theatres. There was even a hair salon where the hairstylist was doing free hair cuts in exchange for donations.”

Morgan himself flew to Kathmandu with tents and other supplies for Basnet and her kids. While he was there, he also took more videos of their plight and the rebuilding efforts. While enough money has been raised for the rebuilding of the centre, there is still the issue of operating costs. Right now, there are two kids to a bed and Basnet hopes to add more to take in more children. She is also adamant about supporting the children through university.

“Some of these kids start school very late as they were in prison before; I can’t stop helping them just because they turn 18, but really only have the education of a 10-year-old,” she explained. “That’s a vulnerable age and they could be lured into the drug or sex industry.”

Basnet is open to the idea of voluntourism, but maintains that the volunteers need to stay for at least three months to make a difference and for stability in the lives’ of the kids who have trust issues. Those who’re interested to help can also visit the film’s Facebook page to get in touch with Morgan or Basnet.

Or as Basnet encouraged: “Visit Nepal. Book a homestay where the money will go directly to the families and go to cafes with youth programmes that help train them for jobs. And take pictures and share with your friends, showing Nepal is safe to visit.”

Waiting For Mamu screens at The Projector at 8pm tonight with a question-and-answer session with Morgan and Basnet. Proceeds will go to The Butterfly Home. Tickets at S$15 from theprojector.sg