Meet the Team – Mahesh Kumar Rana
Our staff of over 500 in Nepal work tirelessly to provide medical, financial, and development aid to Gurkha veterans, their families, and communities. Operating from Area Welfare Centres stationed throughout the country, our Pensioner Support Teams and medical staff split their time between vital office coordination and venturing deep into the field to care for veterans and widows in their homes. Alongside this delivery of pensions, grants and medical care, we have a team of dedicated project staff who oversee our construction projects, including school builds and refurbishments, water projects and Earthquake-Resilient Homes.
Meet Mahesh Kumar Rana
For over two decades, Project Supervisor Mahesh Kumar Rana has been a driving force behind The Gurkha Welfare Trust’s school construction efforts, overcoming some of the world’s harshest terrain to deliver quality education infrastructure.
When Mahesh began his career with GWT, many project sites had no road access. Materials like cement and steel had to be transported by mules and donkeys or even by hand up rough mountain tracks.
Laying Foundations for Learning
Over the last 20 years, Mahesh has overseen the completion of over 20 major school projects, ranging from 6 to 16-room classroom buildings. Following the devastating 2015 earthquake, his focus shifted towards building larger, earthquake-resilient, multi-block structures. These buildings are vital to ensure that children in remote areas can continue their education safely.
The challenges of building at altitudes above 2,000 meters span both logistics and human resources. Mahesh has to navigate seasonal labour shortages and wage expectations, and coordinate deliveries in areas with unpredictable weather and limited communication.
A current example of this work is the upgrade to Saraswati Secondary School in Dhorpatan, Baglung. Despite the remote location, the school recently achieved a major milestone, with 22 out of 24 students passing their Secondary Education Examination (SEE) – proving that solid infrastructure directly supports academic success.
On-site, Mahesh is known for his disciplined, fair approach. He starts every day with door-to-door attendance checks to ensure accountability and build trust with local workers. He also prioritises inclusive employment, ensuring vulnerable community members – including individuals with disabilities – are given fair work and dignity on his sites.
This work requires significant personal sacrifice. Mahesh spends long periods away from his family, facing isolation and constant logistical uncertainty in the field. Yet, his commitment remains steady. Next year, he will lead GWT’s major school project in Gurjakhani, sitting at an altitude of over 2,900 meters.
Colleague Sandesh paid tribute to Mahesh’s efforts over more than two decades at the Trust: “Through it all, Mahesh remains grounded in a simple belief that teamwork is the foundation of every achievement. As he often reflects, every school takes shape through collective effort, not individual effort alone. Ultimately, his journey reflects more than infrastructure delivery. It is about persistence becoming impact in fragile and remote regions.”
Through consistent, hard work, Mahesh and our project teams continue to build a brighter future for children across Nepal, one school at a time.