A Dulwich secondary school teacher has been honoured with a national award to recognise her outstanding service to charitable work.
Liz Parker said it was “overwhelming” when she collected her award at Westminster earlier this month, after involving the students at James Allen’s Girls’ School (JAGS) in creating new fundraising projects.
In 2014 the biology teacher set up her own charity called AFFCAD UK, with the aim of transforming the lives of children she had met while visiting the slums of Bwaise, Uganda.
Working with Liz, JAGS pupils have devised a sustainable chicken feed-making farm and had contact with the Ugandan children they have helped via Skype. Liz has also focused some of the charity’s funds on helping desperate young girls out of prostitution and into training and independence.
After the awards ceremony on July 9, Liz said: “It was overwhelming to receive such a prestigious award. I couldn’t have done it without the enthusiasm and unfaltering support of the students at JAGS; it is their hard work and commitment from attending lunch time clubs every week to running events at Sports Day, Founders Day, International Evening, Gospel Choir Night… the list goes on and on. These girls are a real credit both to themselves, the school and their families. I am very proud of what we have achieved together and excited about what the future holds for AFFCAD UK.”
