Afghan Appeal Fund
1249. Caroline Richards
Lady Caroline Richards was inspired by her husband’s military service in Afghanistan to help the reconstruction of the country by building 11 schools which have so far educated over 6,000 Afghan girls.
Formed in 2005, the charity is run on an entirely voluntary basis, and works through NGOs, local communities and, in some cases, British Armed Forces to support school projects in six provinces across the country. Since it was established, over £600,000 has been raised for the ‘Afghan Appeal Fund’, including through an annual sponsored cricket match held at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
In a personal letter to Lady Caroline, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:
“I know you do this with no thought of praise or reward, but allow me to offer my own recognition of how you are helping the reconstruction of Afghanistan by building new schools and providing education for thousands of Afghan girls.”
Caroline said:
“I was blown away when I heard about this award. A network of volunteers and donors have made the Afghan Appeal Fund’s work possible for which I am extremely grateful. We are particularly proud of our most recent school in Nade Ali, Helmand province, in the turbulent and deeply conservative south of Afghanistan. We have partnered with Dr. Mohammad khan Kharoti who has been an inspiration. Over 3,000 children, few of whom would otherwise have had an education, now attend school – over a 1,000 are girls. They all love to play cricket!
“Heartfelt thanks to the Prime Minister for awarding us a Points of Light for which we feel deeply honoured.”