Ester Gluck was born on 26 April 1982 and died on 27 September 2006 at the age of 24.

The Separated Child Foundation was set up in memory of Ester Gluck. Compassionate and creative, Ester was deeply committed to working for the benefit of refugees and people seeking asylum. In particular, she cared about the needs of young refugees, especially those who have become separated from their parents and close family.

She was a pupil at Salusbury Primary School, Queen's Park Community School and Parliament Hill School, all in London. She sang in the school choir, played oboe in the orchestra and was involved in a number of social action projects.

After a gap year spent working with children in England and Israel, she took a degree in psychology at the University of Cardiff. When choosing her university course, Ester had in mind to train as a psychotherapist, specialising in recovery from trauma. But through significant experiences as play-leader on a student-led project for refugee children, she developed increasing commitment to refugees and people seeking asylum.

Ester spent two summers in Ghana on behalf of Tzedek – 'Jewish action for a just world'. In the first, she and a friend set up a volunteer programme and in the second she led a team of volunteers on a range of educational, vocational and medical community projects. Whilst in Ghana, she had close contact with one of Africa's most distinguished writers and social activists, Ama Ata Aidoo. When The Separated Child Foundation was set up, Ama Ata Aidoo agreed to be a patron.

On graduation from university, Ester volunteered for several organisations, including the Refugee Council, Salusbury World and the London Detainee Support Group (LDSG). She was later appointed to a full-time permanent position at the LDSG. Although still young, she shouldered challenging responsibilities and was a constant source of encouragement, inspiration and good spirits for all with whom she came in contact.

In whatever spare time she had, Ester was a founding and very active member of 'The Muju Crew', a drama group of young Muslims and Jews based at The Tricycle Theatre, north London. She was a talented actor, mimic and comedian, and was also well known for her beautiful singing, in both sacred and secular settings.

In her many circles of friends, Ester was famous for her love of the colour purple. At her funeral, a friend referred to her as 'our purple princess'. This was later adopted as the name for a website dedicated to her memory. The many tributes from people whose lives she had touched contain poetry, song, metaphor, pictures, stories, memories, jokes and prayer. They express not only deep sadness but also gratitude and awe, and determination that Ester's life's work should continue. They can be read at the Purple Princess site.

The song 'Ester Adjuah', composed and performed by American singer-songwriter Arnie Davidson, can be heard here.