J.K. Rowling founded the charity Lumos in 2005 to support disadvantaged children and young people.
The organization was originally established as the Children’s High Level Group. Rowling became involved after reading a newspaper article about children living in institutions, including facilities where children were confined in cots. The charity later adopted the name Lumos, referring to the light-producing spell in the Harry Potter books.
Lumos works to end the institutionalization of children and promote family-based or community-based care. Its work has included projects in countries such as Moldova, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Haiti. The charity argues that children generally do better when they grow up in families or family-like settings rather than large residential institutions.
Lumos is separate from Rowling’s writing career, although the organization uses the connection with its founder to raise awareness and funds. Its name also reflects the broader theme of bringing hidden problems into public view.