Over the course of her far-too-short lifetime, Liz made an enormous difference to countless people around the world. During the pandemic, I was fortunate enough to be able to watch her teach online. It was clear to see why so many of her students loved her. Her enthusiasm was unwavering, her ability and dedication second-to-none. In her classes she brought the English language to life, somehow managing to find just the right combination of fun and hard work that made it easy for her students to flourish. She had a passionate belief in the power of education to unlock people's potential and improve their lives. I know that she would be thrilled to think that she was continuing to make a difference even though she's no longer with us.
Another of Liz's great passions was social welfare. The night before she died, she mentioned that she was thinking of donating to an educational charity that was helping people in one of the poorest parts of the world . She was always concerned about the plight of refugees and other marginalised communities, helping out wherever she could. One of her ambitions was to one day travel around teaching English for free, maybe in the kampungs of Malaysia or, Liz being Liz, in some other far-flung place.
St Mary's Agape Mission School is a UNHCR partner school for refugee children based in Kuala Lumpur. Aside from providing education to the children, the school also provides care and assistance to more than 60 refugee families. Even in normal times, raising the necessary funds to keep the school running is a massive uphill struggle. The pandemic has made the challenge many times more difficult. Quite a few people have mentioned that they would like to donate some money in Liz's memory, and I know that this is a cause she would have believed in and been eager to support.
You can read more about the important work that the school is doing here: