Welcome to Wear Surma Clinic

Bangladesh is one of the world's most densely populated countries, with its people crammed into a delta of rivers that empties into the Bay of Bengal.

Poverty is deep and widespread; almost half the population lives on less than one dollar a day.

Every year, Bangladesh is blighted by extreme tropical monsoon flooding which lasts from 3 - 5 months. It decimates crops and makes thousands homeless. Winter months can be pleasant, but extreme cold also brings misery.

In 1992, Carole and Terry Elliott established the Wear Surma Clinic. This is a tiny charity, run from home in Sunderland, with local volunteer Trustees and supporters.

Boroudha village, with a population of around 3,500 has an infant mortality rate of twenty deaths in a hundred before the first birthday. Life expectancy in the area is 51 years and the literacy rate is only 16%.There is no direct road to the village and Boroudha is flooded for 3 - 5 months every year. During the Monsoon, access is often only possible by small boat.