J.K. Rowling founded the children’s charity Lumos in 2005.
The organization was originally established as the Children’s High Level Group after Rowling read a newspaper article about children living in institutions. It was later renamed Lumos, after the light-producing spell in the Harry Potter books.
Lumos works internationally to end the institutionalization of children and to promote family-based care. Its stated focus includes helping children leave orphanages and other institutions, supporting families, and encouraging systems that protect children within communities.
The charity’s name refers to the Latin word for light and to Rowling’s fictional “Lumos” spell, which creates light at the tip of a wand. Lumos is not the same organization as Gingerbread, the charity associated with support for single-parent families.