British actress Joanna Lumley has launched a $16 million (£10 million) campaign to improve the lives of poverty-stricken Gurkha veterans in Nepal.
The Absolutely Fabulous star, whose dad Major James Rutherford Lumley fought alongside the Nepalese soldiers in the British army, has campaigned tirelessly for veteran Gurkhas to be allowed to stay in the U.K.
Her work paid off earlier this year (09), when British officials agreed by to give 36,000 Gurkha soldiers and their families the right to live in Britain.
But Lumley is back on the campaign trail - she wants veterans living in Nepal to receive cash to improve their quality of life.
She says, "Our debt of honour to the Gurkhas remains. They helped fight our wars and keep our peace. They stood up for us and now is the time to stand up for them. There are 10,000 very elderly veterans in Nepal who need our support right now."