Gurkha Welfare Trust
Encyclopedia
The Gurkha Welfare Trust is a British charity, established in 1969. It is the principal UK charity dedicated to the provision of aid to Gurkha
ex-servicemen and their dependents in their homeland of Nepal
.
Nepal has little industry, agriculture or infrastructure. Nepal also lacks any kind of public social welfare system. This means that the work of the GWT is critical in improving conditions for ex-servicemen and their dependents, who are often unable to work through illness or injury.
The Trust operates through 21 centres across Nepal that are staffed by former Gurkhas who investigate cases of hardship and distress and recommend appropriate aid.
The Trust pays a monthly stipend, enough for basic food, to about 10,000 needy Gurkha ex-servicemen and widows who do not receive a military pension (15 years' military service is required to earn such a pension). Medical treatment is also provided for them and their dependents. In addition, hardship grants are awarded to alleviate destitution following fire, flood and other natural disasters. The Trust also helps to fund the education of some 1,500 children each year.
Each year, by tradition, all serving Officer
s and Other Ranks
in the Brigade of Gurkhas
contribute a day's pay to the Trust.
Gurkha
Gurkha are people from Nepal who take their name from the Gorkha District. Gurkhas are best known for their history in the Indian Army's Gorkha regiments, the British Army's Brigade of Gurkhas and the Nepalese Army. Gurkha units are closely associated with the kukri, a forward-curving Nepalese knife...
ex-servicemen and their dependents in their homeland of Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
.
Nepal has little industry, agriculture or infrastructure. Nepal also lacks any kind of public social welfare system. This means that the work of the GWT is critical in improving conditions for ex-servicemen and their dependents, who are often unable to work through illness or injury.
The Trust operates through 21 centres across Nepal that are staffed by former Gurkhas who investigate cases of hardship and distress and recommend appropriate aid.
The Trust pays a monthly stipend, enough for basic food, to about 10,000 needy Gurkha ex-servicemen and widows who do not receive a military pension (15 years' military service is required to earn such a pension). Medical treatment is also provided for them and their dependents. In addition, hardship grants are awarded to alleviate destitution following fire, flood and other natural disasters. The Trust also helps to fund the education of some 1,500 children each year.
Each year, by tradition, all serving Officer
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
s and Other Ranks
Other Ranks
Other Ranks in the British Army, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force are those personnel who are not commissioned officers. In the Royal Navy, these personnel are called ratings...
in the Brigade of Gurkhas
Brigade of Gurkhas
The Brigade of Gurkhas is the collective term for units of the current British Army that are composed of Nepalese soldiers. The brigade, which is 3,640 strong, draws its heritage from Gurkha units that originally served in the British Indian Army prior to Indian independence, and prior to that of...
contribute a day's pay to the Trust.