KATHMANDU, JAN 8

Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) President Shesh Ghale's Melbourne Institute of Technology Group Foundation on Thursday announced a charity of Rs 1 billion to be spent on education and health sectors in Nepal's remote corners.

The largest ever charity established in Nepal will be mobilised to provide scholarships to poor students in different remote schools. It will also extend help to establish libraries, buy education materials and provide training to the needy.

Likewise, the fund will be used to provide basic healthcare facilities in rural areas and support access to health facilities for poor people.

Founder of the MIT Group Foundation Ghale and his wife Jamuna Gurung have a combined wealth of $265 million in Australia. 

“You all know that both of us were born in remote villages of Lamjung district and struggled amid crisis and hardship. Our parents were not educated, but luckily we got a chance to go to school due to their understanding of the importance of education,” Ghale said.

“My wife Jamuna completed her school-level education by collecting firewood and at the same time collecting grass for cattle,” he said, speaking at the announcement ceremony of the fund. “I am highly moved by my father’s dedication to education.”

Ghale said that the plan to extend support to education was to ensure that bright minds would not be deprived of school education due to lack of schools and resources.

At the same time, he said the common people in Nepal still lack access to basic health facilities. “I have suffered the pain of losing my own family members due to lack of timely health care services. So we have announced this philanthropic fund to provide support to Nepal’s health and education sectors.”