The Gurkha Welfare Trust Annual Review 1 July 16 - 30 June 17
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THE The Gurkha Welfare Trust Annual Review 1 July 16 - 30 June 17 1 A word from our Chairman LIEUTENANT GENERAL NICK POPE, CBE of community aid or of post As you will read in the following disaster relief, they have been pages, the Operation was a big working heart and body and soul success and set the standard to make a difference to the lives for the remaining construction of the Gurkha veterans and their activity. families that we all pledge to support. And they do so without Finally, as an advocate of the Welcome to the 2016/17 Annual complaint in what is one of the Gurkha Welfare Trust, I’m in Review. most challenging environments awe of your support. In what on earth. As Kipling so aptly put it, continues to be a ‘challenging’ As you will no doubt recognise, they have “filled the unforgiving financial climate, the British public the Gurkha Welfare Trust’s aim minute with sixty seconds worth have continued to deliver the is to help Gurkhas to live with of distance run”. extraordinary. As I said recently in dignity. And as you flick through the Trust’s Samachara newsletter, the following pages of this In my other role as Colonel Gurkhas are renowned for their Review, I hope that you will agree Commandant Brigade of Gurkhas, loyalty. And in a similar vein, one with me that we have been doing I’m very proud to have seen our of the things that sets us apart our utmost to live up to that aim. serving Gurkhas support their as a charity is the loyalty of our military forefathers in Nepal. I’m supporters. Your continued As Chairman of the Gurkha passionate about ensuring that support has helped us to enable Welfare Trust I’m continually the link between the serving thousands and thousands of inspired by the strength, and the retired brigade remains Gurkha veterans and their families endurance and resilience of our unbreakable. And Operation to live with dignity in Nepal. You staff in Nepal. We have some 400 MARMAT, which brought our have my unbounded thanks. The people working tirelessly across soldiers to Nepal to help re-build Trust owes you too a ‘debt of the country and they do so with homes, schools and other projects honour’. compassion and with unparalleled damaged in the 2015 earthquakes dedication. Be it in the fields of provided a unique opportunity to Jai Gurkha and Jai The Gurkha individual aid, of medical support, strengthen the bonds of respect. Welfare Trust! Patrons & Trustees Patron • Brigadier J J Cole OBE • HRH The Prince of Wales KG KT GCB OM AK • F Dufficy Esq QSO PC ADC • Major General A J S Fay • K Gurung MVO MBE • D G Hayes Esq CBE Vice Patrons • D J Hitchcock Esq OBE • Field Marshal The Lord Bramall of Bushfield KG • Dr J D Keeling MBA, MB BS, FRCGP, DRCOG (wef GCB OBE MC JP 20 July 2017) • Field Marshal Sir John Chapple GCB CBE DL • Dr G E Ratcliffe (to 20 July 2017) • Miss J Lumley OBE • Colonel J G Robinson • Brigadier G M Strickland DSO MBE • Ms C L Turner Trustees • Major General R Wardlaw OBE (wef 8 October • General Sir Peter Wall GCB CBE DL (Chairman) 2016) (to 20 July 2017) • Major General T Urch CBE (to 8 October 2016) • Lieutenant General N A W Pope CBE (Chairman) (wef 20 July 2017) • J J Brade Esq MBE Director • D P Clifford Esq MVO • A P W Howard 2 Contents A word from our Chairman 2 Patrons & Trustees 2 Our year in news 4-5 Our year in fundraising 6-7 Our year in numbers 8 Our year in money 9 Meet Krishna 10-11 Financial aid 12-13 Medical aid 14-15 Water & Sanitation 16-17 School Projects 18-19 Earthquake Response 20-21 Residential Homes 22-23 UK Services 24-25 Thank you 26-27 How you can help 28-29 WHO ARE THE We achieve this primarily through WHAT IS THIS REPORT? GURKHAS? the provision of financial, medical and community Every year we publish an Annual The Gurkhas are soldiers from aid in Nepal. Review, in addition to our Annual Nepal who are recruited into the Report & Accounts, to show British Army, and have been for Our field arm our supporters and other operates through the last 200 years. Gurkhas are interested parties what 22 Area Welfare known to be as fearless in combat we've been doing over the as they are good-natured in daily Centres last year. life. spread across traditional Our financial year runs To this day, they remain renowned Gurkha for their loyalty, professionalism recruiting areas. the same as the Nepali and bravery. one, from 1 July - 30 June, In the UK, in and this document covers our WHO ARE WE? conjunction with activities between those dates. other service charities, we offer Established in 1969, we exist to advice and support to help the You can stay up to date with all of ensure that Gurkha veterans, thousands of retired Gurkhas our work in Nepal or access advice their widows and their wider and their families who choose to and guidance by visiting our communities are able to live with settle here. website www.gwt.org.uk dignity. 3 Photo: Saraya Cortaville Our year in news GETTING OUR CENTRES more comfortable place for them BACK UP AND RUNNING to live and work. Amongst the chaos brought by On hearing news of the donation, the 2015 earthquakes in Nepal, Colonel in Chief of 6GR, Her our staff were not immune to the Majesty The Queen sent her best effects. wishes to the Brigade of Gurkhas and expressed her appreciation of With our earthquake rebuilding the gesture, calling it efforts in their second phase we were able to turn some of our "a fitting memorial to both attention to our own facilities. my regiment and the brave men who served in it and Earlier this year a generous who have made so many donation from the 6th QEO sacrifices for this nation." Gurkha Rifles (6GR) Regimental Trust to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of their Regiment allowed us to retrofit our centres in Gorkha and Lamjung. Our staff – many of whom are also ex-Gurkhas – live in these hard, remote environments for years at a time, far from family and friends. The retrofitting offers a safer and Photographer Fenn Photo: Johnny MEET THE HEAD OF OUR EARTHQUAKE RESPONSE Lieutenant Colonel (Retd) John "While I was taken aback by the scale of the White MBE has worked as devastation the earthquake caused, as a former Head of our Earthquake officer in the Brigade of Gurkhas, I was not at all Response Team in Nepal this year. surprised at the forbearance and stoicism of the Nepali people." An ex-Gurkha himself, John was awarded an MBE in 1994 for leading a previous disaster "Our pensioners, their widows and communities relief operation in Nepal had no expectation of help, but rather displayed when three Bailey Bridges a grim determination to pick themselves up were constructed along the and get on with life as best they could. I can Prithvi Highway, following heavy monsoon rains which assure you that your support has brought, and had severely damaged what continues to bring, relief to a people who have was then the only road into suffered so much, yet ask for and expect so Kathmandu from India. little." 4 WORKING WITH THE soldiers from the Brigade were John White, said: BRIGADE – OPERATION deployed (including return visits) MARMAT from the UK between April 2015 “Op MARMAT offered and December 2016 as part of a true Rolls Royce In April and May 2015, Nepal Operation MARMAT, which means solution. The work they was hit by two devastating ‘rebuild’ in Nepali. carried out served as earthquakes. Buildings crumbled an example to all of our and lives changed in an instant. In total, the troops built over 70 other construction teams Many of our beneficiaries were of our quake-resistant buildings, working in the hills and affected. including 61 Gurkha homes for they were very generous veterans and widows affected, in sharing their expertise After distributing emergency seven schools, two community with our own staff and aid in the immediate aftermath centres and one Welfare Centre. local labourers.” of the quakes, we turned our attention to our longer-term In the process, they managed Our earthquake response strategy to get people back on to break seven Toyota pick-ups continues, however we are their feet: rebuilding homes and - thanks to Nepal’s notoriously incredibly grateful for a successful strengthening communities. unforgiving terrain! mission from this committed group of soldiers who made an For part of our efforts, the Commenting on the conclusion enormous contribution to their Brigade of Gurkhas joined us to of Op MARMAT, the Head of our home country. help kickstart our response. 296 Earthquake Response Team, Photo: Brigade of Gurkhas OP MARMAT IN STATS two community centres and • 7,000 CGI sheets distributed one GWT Welfare Centre for temporary shelters From April 2015 to December • Seven Toyota Landcruisers • 6,000 kg of rice distributed 2016: broken due to the roughness during emergency response of the terrain • 14,121 portions of dal bhat • 296 soldiers deployed from UK • 7,700 km travelled in the hills (the traditional Nepali meal) (including repeat visits) replenishing troops in the field eaten by the troops • 71 buildings constructed: 61 • 1,800 corrugated iron (CGI) Gurkha homes, seven schools, sheets used for roofing 5 Our year in fundraising INDIVIDUALS AND TRUSTS CHALLENGES LEGACIES Thank you to the many This year many of our This year we were grateful for Charitable Trusts and supporters took on a variety the outpouring of support Foundations who supported of challenges, from swimming for every area of our work, all areas of our work during across the Hellespont from from rebuilding earthquake- 2016-17, enabling us to Europe to Asia, trekking 4,000 resistant homes for our deliver financial, medical and miles from Siberia to India, and pensioners, to providing community aid across Nepal running the London Marathon.