Fil-Am midwife is 2011 CNN 'Hero of the Year'

 A Filipino-American midwife whose foundation built “birthing sanctuaries” for Indonesians was named the 2011 CNN Hero of the Year.

Anderson Cooper announced the name of Robin Lim in a star-studded ceremony last Sunday night at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California.

Christy Turlington Burns introduced Lim as one of the Top 10 CNN Heroes.

Each of the CNN Heroes received $50,000, and Lim’s non-profit, Bumi Sehat Foundation, will receive an additional $250,000 grant.

Lim’s foundation helped Indonesians who need maternal and general health care.

She is the second CNN Hero of Year of Filipino descent.

In 2009, Filipino Efren Peñaflorida was named CNN Hero of the Year for his “Kariton” classroom project that aims to educate street children.

In Indonesia, women are 300 times more likely to die in childbirth or from pregnancy-related complications than women in developed countries. After Lim’s younger sister died from pregnancy complications, she became a professional midwife and dedicated her life to offering free pre-natal and birthing services to low-income Indonesian women. Since 2003, Lim’s“Yayasan Bumi Sehat” (Healthy Mother Earth) clinic has provided medical assistance to thousands of women in Bali and Aceh, Indonesia.

Malacanang on Monday expressed elation over the naming of Lim as the 2011 CNN Hero of the Year.

“We are very happy that the efforts of one of our Filipinos have again been recognized on the international stage,” Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said.

The star-studded ceremony included celebrity participants Jerry Seinfeld, Sofia Vergara, Mary-Louise Parker, Ice Cube, Laura Dern, J.R. Martinez, will.i.am, Christy Turlington Burns, George Lopez and Kurt Warner. Miley Cyrus, Chris Colfer, and Emma Roberts presented to youths who were recognized and honored by CNN as “Young Wonders.” Miley Cyrus also performed her triple platinum hit “The Climb”, while Kid Rock performed a powerful version of "Care" from his platinum selling album, “Born Free.”

Now in its fifth year, “CNN Heroes” is a multi-platform campaign that shines a spotlight on individuals who go to extraordinary lengths to serve others. This year, the campaign received over 10,000 submissions from more than 100 countries. (Madel R. Sabater and www.cnn.com)

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