Valerie Ann Taylor, (born 8 February 1944) is a British-Bangladeshi physiotherapist, social worker and philanthropist.
She is the founder of
Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP) in
Savar
Savar ( bn, সাভার) is a city in central Bangladesh, located in Dhaka District in the Dhaka Division, division of Dhaka. It is the closest city from Dhaka. It is also a part of Greater Dhaka conurbation which forms the Greater Dhaka, D ...
,
Dhaka District
Dhaka District ( bn, ঢাকা জেলা, Dhaka jela) is a district in central Bangladesh, and is the densest district in the nation. It is a part of the Dhaka Division. Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, and rests on the eastern banks o ...
.
[ Dubbed ''Mother Theresa of Bangladesh'',][ she was awarded 2004 ]Independence Day Award
The Independence Day Award ( bn, স্বাধীনতা পদক), also termed Independence Award ( bn, স্বাধীনতা পুরস্কার), Swadhinata Padak, and Swadhinata Puroskar, is the highest state award given by t ...
by the Government of Bangladesh
The Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ সরকার — ) is the central executive government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Con ...
for her public service. In 1998, she was granted Bangladeshi citizenship by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh
The Prime Minister of Bangladesh ( bn, বাংলাদেশের প্রধানমন্ত্রী, translit=Bangladesher Prodhanmontri), officially Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজা ...
.[
]
Early life
Taylor was born in Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
, England to Marie Taylor and William Taylor.[ She grew up living close to National Spinal Injuries Centre at ]Stoke Mandeville Hospital
Stoke Mandeville Hospital is a large National Health Service (NHS) hospital located on the parish borders of Aylesbury and Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire, England. It is managed by Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust.
It was establishe ...
in England.
Career
In 1969, Taylor came to Bangladesh, under contract for 15 months, with the Voluntary Service Overseas
Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) is a not-for-profit international development organization charity with a vision for "a fair world for everyone" and a mission to "create lasting change through volunteering". VSO delivers development impact throug ...
(VSO) to work as a physiotherapist in the Christian Hospital, Chandraghona
Chandraghona is a town on the Karnaphuli River in the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh.
Geography
The town is located on the Kaptai Road between Kaptai Upazila and Ranguni, 48 kilometers from the city of Chittagong. It is from Bahaddarhut bu ...
in the Chittagong Hill Tracts
The Chittagong Hill Tracts ( bn, পার্বত্য চট্টগ্রাম, Parbotto Chottogram), often shortened to simply the Hill Tracts and abbreviated to CHT, are group of districts within the Chittagong Division in southeast ...
.[ She established the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP) in 1979.]
Personal life
Taylor is a legal guardian to two girls with disabilities, Joyti and Poppy.[
]
Awards and honors
* Officer of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(OBE) (1995)[
* Arthur Eyre Brook Gold Medal (1996)
* National Social Service Award (2000)
* ]Anannya Top Ten Awards
Anannya Top Ten Awards ( bn, অনন্যা শীর্ষ দশ পুরস্কার) is the prize for women in Bangladesh recognition of contribution to the fields of agriculture, industrial, trade, economics, acting, music, sports, ...
(2000)
* Millennium Award (2000)
* Dr. MR Khan and Anwara Trust Gold Medal (2001)
* Hakkani Mission Bangladesh Award (2001)
* Bangladesh Independence Day Award (2004)
* Rokeya Shining Personality Award (2005)
* Princess Diana Gold Medal (2007)
References
Further reading
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Valerie Ann
Living people
1944 births
People from Bromley
English women philanthropists
British physiotherapists
English social workers
Bangladeshi philanthropists
Bangladeshi physiotherapists
Bangladeshi social workers
British emigrants
Bangladeshi people of English descent
Naturalised citizens of Bangladesh
Officers of the Order of the British Empire
Recipients of the Independence Day Award
Immigrants to Bangladesh