Valerie Ann Taylor


Valerie Ann Taylor, is a British-born Bangladeshi physiotherapist and philanthropist. She was awarded Independence Day Award in 2004 for her social work by the Government of Bangladesh. In 1998 she was granted Bangladeshi citizenship by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She is often called the Mother Theresa of Bangladesh.

Early life

Taylor was born in Kent, England to Marie Taylor and William Taylor. She grew up living close to National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in England.

Career

In 1969, Taylor came to Bangladesh, under contract for 15 months, with the Voluntary Service Overseas to work as a physiotherapist in the Christian Hospital, Chandraghona in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. She established the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed in 1979. At the start of her career, she was running CRP with four patients in an abandoned warehouse of the Shaheed Suhrawardy Hospital. Later CRP has grown to include a 100-bed hospital.

Personal life

Taylor is a legal guardian to two girls with disabilities, Joyti and Poppy.

Honors