A FUNDRAISER has been launched in aid of a terminally ill soldier who will be otherwise unable to afford to spend his final days with his son and wife.
Iswar Bahadur Sahi, 79, who lives in Colchester, joined the Brigade of Gurkhas in 1960 at the height of the Borneo confrontation and served for more than nine years.
Despite the rifleman’s commitment to the cause and lengthy stint on the frontline, he was made redundant without any pension in 1970, only being paid £222.
Following decades of hard work, he moved to the UK after the Government’s invitation to Gurkhas who had served for four years or more.
Due to only being given £177-a-week in Pension Credit, however, Mr Sahi was forced to leave behind both his beloved wife and their son.
He is now desperate to bring his son to Colchester after being diagnosed with advanced metastatic lung cancer in July last year.
Thankfully, following efforts by the chairman of the Colchester Nepalese Society, his wife, Sara, was granted a six month visa and arrived in November to look after him.
Refugee Action Colchester has now launched a fundraiser with a view of being able to extend the visa and transporting his son from Nepal to the UK.
A spokesman for the organisation said: “Finding extra money to pay for visa applications and health surcharges is beyond their reach.
“The original visa cost £136 but to extend for exceptional reasons the cost is £993, while the health surcharge is £1,560 plus costs and charges for biometric enrolment.
“Mr Sahi is a proud man and he tries to do as much for himself as he can but his health is deteriorating quickly and he needs his wife by his side now.
“We also want very much to bring his son over here to say goodbye to his father and he will also need a visa and air fare.
“But if he comes here and the rent on his home in Nepal is not paid they will lose that and after his father’s death he and his mother will have nowhere to return to.”
On behalf of Mr Sahi, who has to use the Colchester Foodbank, Refugee Action Colchester has now submitted visa applications with the help of St Helena Hospice.
“The costs so far are £2,631 and so we need to ask for the help of the Colchester community to meet these costs,” added the group’s spokeswoman.
“Colchester has done its best to welcome the Nepalese community here and we know you will want to support this family through this sad time.”
To donate visit localgiving.org/charity/rac.
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