Surma Centre/Bengali Workers' Association

The Bengali Workers’ Association (BWA) was originally known as the Bengali Workers’ Action Group (BWAG). It was set up in 1976 by a small group of community activists led by Abdul Momen. They provided a voluntary advice service on issues such as immigration, accommodation and welfare for newly arrived migrants from Bangladesh. Steeped in tradition and history, BWA continues to provide the same level of service but in doing so, now acts as a strategic organisation, influencing and shaping statutory providers and others alike to adapt services to better meet the needs of the community. Increasingly, our service users are becoming more diverse, reflecting the broad nature of the community we work with and serve. BWA is therefore now able to provide a more inclusive service base and the infrastructure support that has enabled local people to manage their lives more effectively and to assume greater responsibility for themselves and their communities. BWA has matured into a ‘community anchor’, playing a major role in delivering not only its priorities, but also that of the local authority in areas around community regeneration and development. BWA provides a dynamic range of services in areas such as advice, advocacy, employment and health across a wide spectrum of age groups, gender and ethnicity all backed up by quality assurance models of delivery. BWA strongly believes in supporting and empowering all members of the community, building personal, economic and community resilience along the way. This is a key tool that will make a positive and lasting impact on service users to enable them to have enhanced life chances. BWA is committed to working with existing partners and welcomes opportunities to work with new partners as part of its continued journey. To get more information about our services, please visit our website. Contact us on 020 7388 7313 or email: info@bwa-surma.org.uk