J.K. Rowling founded the charity Lumos to support vulnerable children and young people in the United Kingdom and worldwide.
Rowling established the organization in 2005 after becoming concerned about children living in institutions. It was originally called the Children’s High Level Group, and it adopted the name Lumos in 2010. The charity works to end the institutionalization of children and promote family- and community-based care.
Lumos argues that children generally do better when they grow up in safe family settings or appropriate community services rather than large residential institutions. Its work includes research, advocacy, and support for reforms in child-protection systems. The organization has worked in countries including the Czech Republic, Moldova, Bulgaria, and Ukraine.
The name Lumos comes from the Latin word for “light” and is also familiar to Harry Potter readers as the name of a wand-lighting spell. The charity is separate from Comic Relief, Children in Need, and other major British fundraising organizations.