Our team
Our Team
We are a welcoming group of multicultural bilingual backgrounds who look forward to meeting you. Click here to find who we are.
Josephine Namusisi-Riley
Parent Action Lead
Josephine is a wife and mother of three children. She joined Parent Action in May 2017 and is responsible for the strategic and operational running of Parent Action in Southwark. An experienced manager she brings extensive experience of community development and voluntary sector work including 5 years as an Advice Worker with the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux, 15 years in the HIV sector providing support and advocacy to families affected. After this she worked as a Service Delivery Manager for School-Home Support (SHS), a national charity that works in partnership with schools to tackle the underlying issues that affect children's ability to learn. Josephine has also worked as a Mentor with Way4Ward, a project based in Brixton supporting you people in care and served as Governor at Corpus Christi Primary School in Brixton Hill for seven years up to January 2019. More recently, she served as chair of the Well_Lab Wisdom Advisory Board at Brink and is an independent Trustee of the Maudsley Charity. In 2021, she founded the anti-racism initiative White Allies as an alternative way to tackle racism.
Josephine is also a qualified Reflective Practice Supervisor.
Grace Romero
Parent Organiser Southwark
Grace, who lives in Camberwell, was an expectant mother in the pilot project. She is Latina and knows the numerous challenges the Spanish-speaking community faces. From 2015 to 2021, she coordinated the Espacio Mama group, which was dedicated to improving parents' well-being by providing a safe space where they could express themselves, belong, and socialize and for children to learn to play and be ready for nursery. She connected parents with various Latin American institutions and services in the community so that families could obtain relevant information to improve their lives.
Grace has now taken on a new role at Parent Action as a Community Organiser because she is passionate about ensuring that Spanish-speaking parents participate in social justice actions and that Latin American parents are integrated.
Contact: grace.romero@citizensuk.org
Ana Muriel Solorzano, Project Coordinator
Project Coordinator
Ana is passionate about promoting wellbeing, nurturing mental health, and fostering empowered communities capable of effecting positive change. Her professional journey has led her to live in different countries around the world, experiencing firsthand the importance of adaptability and resilience in diverse cultural and communication environments. With experience in both communication and health industries, Ana understands the needs for communities to take ownership and leadership for their own wellbeing.
She has dedicated herself to supporting mothers with their mental health through every stage of motherhood and has thrived in various corporate settings, helping to cultivate resilient and emotionally secure individuals within the workplace. This background makes Ana particularly drawn to Parents Action, aligning strongly with her interests and professional goals.
She is eager to support the team with coms and administrative tasks, grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the diverse work of CUK and to participate in the mission of addressing important issues within the Southwark parents' community.
Contact: ana.solorzano@citizensuk.org
Luna Vargas Díaz
Volunteer Coordinator
I am Luna Vargas Díaz, volunteer coordinator at Parent Action. I have a master’s degree in governance, Development and Public Policy, my passion lies in fostering citizen participation and shaping public policy. My professional journey has been marked by a commitment to empowering communities, particularly through the lens of women’s issues, conflict resolution, and impactful public policy initiatives. I have worked to address societal challenges, promote inclusivity, and drive positive changes.
Contact: luna.vargasdiaz@citizensuk.org
Rose Peake
Project Manager
Rose spent over 10 years as an Early Years teacher and advisor in Lambeth and Wandsworth primary schools. She is passionate about early intervention and working with parents of babies and young children. She leads a team of dedicated volunteers to run MumSpace in Camberwell and loves creating a safe and supportive space for Mums to be, grow and develop. She has spent time in Latin America working in schools and is supporting the work of Espacio Mama to help integrate Spanish speaking parents into our community.
Email: Rose.Peake@citizensuk.org
Wendy McConnell
Parent Organiser North Tyneside
Wendy is our Parent Organiser in North Tyneside. Before she joined Citizens UK she volunteered at her local primary school helping children with phonics and numeracy along with behaviour development and set up a playgroup for local Mums. Wendy started her career in retail and was the store manager at Newcastle United Official Club Store. As well as her Parent Action duties, she still works part time at St Cuthbert’s RC Primary School in North Shields.
Contact: wendy.mcconnell@citizensuk.org
Mena Amnour
Parent Organiser
Mena is our Parent Organiser living in Camberwell. She is childcare trained and has worked in many nursery settings. After taking time off to raise her family, she started volunteering at MumSpace in 2017 supporting all the activities, with a focus on babies. Mena went on to join Parent Action in April 2019 as a Parent Organiser. She set up and started our newest group Babies@Mumspace, specifically for babies under one. She has four children and is passionate about the well being of parents and children in her community.
Email: mena.amnour@citizensuk.org
Munira Nesredin
Parent Engagement Officer and Rose Voucher Coordinator
I started as a parent at Parent Action then became a Parent Leader and started volunteering at groups in 2018. I was also on the Parent Action Steering Group to represent parents. I am an EPEC and Book Sharing facilitator. I am passionate about working with communities and connecting them to opportunities to learn and develop. Before joining Parent Action, I volunteered for three years teaching Arabic and cultural studies at a supplementary school.
I enjoy supporting parents in the Parent Action community especially to become leaders in the future, build their confidence to be empowered and make a change. I want to encourage families to live a healthy lifestyle by having Rose Vouchers for Fruit and Veg and help them to be more engaged in healthy activities. We in Parent Action believe Healthy families give a good start in early years for children and beyond.
Contact: Munira.Nesredin@citizensuk.org
Mery Calderon
Associate Parent Organiser
Mery is a Latin-American mum who has the same issues as other Spanish-speaking mums. She is happy when she helps them to be a part of our community. Mery coordinates Espacio Mama.
She joined Parent Action as a mum attending to the groups when her baby was 3 months. she was doing volunteering for Rose Vouchers in First Place three years ago and she studied Child Care and was working as a Nursery Practitioner. She wants Spanish-speaking mums to be able to access all the services and support available in the local area.
Contact: mery.calderon@citizensuk.org or call her 07399584871