The Esther Benjamins Trust was founded in September 1999 by Philip Holmes in memory of his wife Esther Benjamins who took her own life in January of that year, stating childlessness as the reason for her action. At the time of her death Esther was a judge whose admirable qualities combined a sense of justice for the neglected and oppressed with a deep love for children. It is these values that we are perpetuating through the work of the Trust that bears her name.

The Esther Benjamins Trust was founded in September 1999 by Army officer Lt Col Philip Holmes in memory of his wife Esther Benjamins who took her own life in January of that year because of childlessness. Philip's response to this tragedy was to leave the Army to set up and run a UK-registered children's charity in her name. Esther and Philip had been living in Church Crookham, Hants, the then home of the Brigade of Gurkhas, which led to Nepal being a natural choice for the Trust's first projects.