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The Gurkha Welfare Trust (GWT) is a British charity (Reg Charity No. 1103669) established in 1969. It is the principal UK charity dedicated to the provision of aid to Gurkha ex-servicemen and their dependants in their homeland of Nepal, and increasingly in the UK and elsewhere. Nepal has limited industry, agriculture and infrastructure. It also lacks an effective public social welfare system. This means that the work of the Trust is critical in improving conditions for ex-servicemen and their dependants, who are often unable to work through age, illness or injury. The Patron of the Trust is HRH The Prince of Wales; the Chairman of the Board of Trustees is General Sir Peter Wall GCB, CBE, ADC Gen and the current Director is Colonel William Shuttlewood OBE. Each year, by tradition, all serving Officers and other ranks in the Brigade of Gurkhas contribute a day's pay to the Trust.〔("Brigade of Gurkhas: One Day's Pay Scheme" ). ''QGS''. Headquarters Brigade of Gurkhas.〕 == History == In 1969, it was realised that a great number of Gurkha soldiers and their dependants or widows in Nepal faced destitution in old age. Many of these soldiers had served in the Second World War; however they had not served the 15 years needed to qualify for an army pension. Unlike their British counterparts who could rely on the Welfare State in old age, the Nepalese Gurkha had no such safety net. In recognition of the country’s debt of honour to these soldiers, a public appeal – organised by British Gurkha officers – raised £1m to establish The Gurkha Welfare Trust. It began to create a network of bases in Nepal to distribute financial aid to retired soldiers who had met with disasters such as landslides and floods. The Trust also bought land for ex-Gurkhas to become subsistence farmers and provide enough food to support their families. In an arrangement that endures to this day, the Trust agreed a deal that its administrative costs would be largely met by a grant in aid funding from the Ministry of Defence. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Gurkha Welfare Trust」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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