Sylvia Wright trained as a nurse at Leeds General Infirmary and after a spell as a Senior Nursing Officer looking after Community Health in the inner city in Leeds, she became a Senior Lecturer in Nursing at Leeds Polytechnic (now the Metropolitan University). She sold her home and possessions in 1982 to work relentlessly and courageously among the sick and disabled in a poor area of Tamil Nadu State in India.
Over the years, Sylvia has built and established a modern hospital, a school for deaf children, two centres for severely disabled children as well as running many vital community health projects.
In 2009 she founded a Nursing College which which reached its full complement of 80 nurses in July 2012 and has recently been adopted by the government.
We are proud to be a strong supporter of Sylvia and her work. We have assisted in a number of ways over the years and recently we have funded the creation of one of the first hydro-therapy pools in India at the new Sylvia Wright Day Centre for severely disabled children in Tamul Nadu, Southern India. We raised $10,000 which was match-funded by others within Rotary, ultimately totaling $35,000. The pool is much used by all – for therapy, play and relaxation.
The Club has long been a supporter of Leeds-born Sylvia Wright – see www.sylviawright.org for more information on the charity and their work.