Lumos is the charity founded by J.K. Rowling to support children’s homes in Eastern Europe.
Rowling established the organization in 2005 as the Children’s High Level Group, working with European political leaders to improve conditions for children living in institutions. It later became known as Lumos, a name inspired by the Harry Potter world’s light-producing spell but used by the charity as a distinct organizational identity.
Lumos campaigns for family-based care and argues that children should not be separated from families or placed in large residential institutions when safe community alternatives are available. Its work has included projects in countries such as Moldova, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic.
The organization is sometimes confused with broad child-welfare charities that provide emergency aid worldwide. Lumos has a more specific focus: changing systems of institutional care and helping children move toward family and community settings. Its name also differs from Rowling’s other charitable involvement, including the Volant Charitable Trust.