Wednesday, December 14, 2011 2011 CNN Hero of the Y ear A 54-year-old Filipino-American midwife was chosen this year's "CNN Hero of the Year" by Cable News Network (CNN), based on votes garnered by nominees during the 11-week search Robin Lim, who is a Filipino- American based in Bali, Indonesia, bagged the 2011 award in a star-studded television presentation hosted by CNN's Anderson Cooper in Los Angeles, California Sunday night. She became a midwife after her sister died from complication during pregnancy. Since 2003, she and her team in Indonesia have helped thousands of low- income women to have a healthy pregnancy and birth. The award comes with a $250,000 grand prize and $50,000 for each of the 10 finalists. Lim, known in the local community as "Mother Robin", operated the "Healthy Mother Earth Foundation" offering free prenatal care, birthing services and medical aid in Indonesia. Her foundation will receive the $250,000 grant while she takes home the $50,000 prize as one of the ten finalists. "Today, on our earth, 981 mothers in the prime of their life will die," Lim said after receiving her award. "All of us can help change that. We can save lives together, mothers and babies. Every mother counts and healthcare is a human right." "The situation is bad ... babies are unattended, deliveries have become commercialized, and mothers die from haemorrhage after childbirth because they can't afford proper care," Lim told CNN earlier this year. The search for "CNN Hero of the Year" ² now on its fifth year, is an annual television special created and presented by CNN for the purpose of honoring citizens of the world who make extraordinary contribution to humanitarian aid. Since its launching in 2007, CNN has recognized the extraordinary contribution to humanitarian aid of five individuals from different countries for their humanitarian efforts. Among the recipient of the prestigious award are: Pablo Fajardo, of Ecuador: 2007 Hero of the Year, Liz McCartney, of St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana: 2008 Hero of the Year, Efren Peñaflorida, of Cavite City, Philippines: 2009 Hero of the Year, Anuradha Koirala of Kathmandu, Nepal: 2010 CNN Hero of the year and Robin Lim of Bali, Indonesia: 2011 CNN Hero of the year. Lim is the second Filipino to be named "CNN Hero of the Year". In 2009 Efren Penaflorida, a teacher was the first Filipino to be given the award for his efforts in trying to educate out-of- school youths through his "push cart classrooms" which addressed the chronic lack of classrooms in the country to accommodate the youth. CNN names Robin Lim a Filipino-American midwife as 'CNN Hero of the Year'.