Prince Harry visits Gurkha rebuilding projects in Nepal

Dalli Ghale - Today, Prince Harry visited the construction site of an earthquake damaged school being rebuilt by a Gurkha charity based in Nepal. The Prince met pupils and staff from Gauda School, located in Okhari village in the district of Lamjung, which was totally destroyed during last year's disaster. The school, which had stood since 1962, is now being rebuilt by The Gurkha Welfare Trust (GWT), a charity devoted to supporting Gurkha veterans and their wider communities. Fortunately, there were no fatalities at Gauda; one of the small blessings of the disaster was that it occurred on a weekend when children were not at school. However, pupils were left working out of basic temporary shelters. At a height of over 1500m, the recent winter months have made it increasingly difficult for some of the school's 216 students to attend. GWT's project manager estimates that work will be completed by August 2016, at a cost of around £85,000. To put the project in context, a total of 32,000 classrooms across Nepal are estimated to have been destroyed by the quakes. Prince Harry has strong connections to the Gurkhas, having served alongside The Royal Gurkha Rifles during his 2007-8 tour of Afghanistan, and has often spoken of his admiration for his Nepalese comrades. This week, he has been able to witness some of the progress they've made in supporting their country's recovery. Yesterday, he also spent time with a Gurkha veteran and two widows from Lamjung district whose homes are being rebuilt by GWT. 77-year-old Lance Corporal Rajman Gurung, who fought in Brunei and Malaya, is one of around 1,200 former Gurkhas or their widows whose homes were destroyed. He said: "It's a great honour to be visited by a Prince and friend of the Gurkhas. I hope that this visit will help other people like me to get the support they need. "Without GWT's support, I would not be able to make ends meet. Even 40 years ago, GWT built me a house when I had none. And then after the earthq - Lamjung Distrcit, Nepal - Tuesday 22nd March 2016 (1 Picture)