Lumos is the J.K. Rowling-founded charity that works to end the institutionalisation of children.
Rowling established the organization in 2005 as the Children’s High Level Group after reading about children living in harmful institutional conditions. It later became known as Lumos, a name inspired by the light-producing spell in the Harry Potter books. The charity works internationally to replace large residential institutions with family- and community-based care.
Its work includes research, advocacy, and support for governments and local organizations. Lumos argues that children separated from their families need safe family care or suitably supported community alternatives, rather than growing up in institutions. The organization has focused on countries including Moldova, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, and Haiti.
The charity is independent from Rowling’s fiction, although its name creates a clear connection with the Wizarding World. “Lumos” is therefore not the name of a Harry Potter character or school; it is the name of a real-world organization with a child-protection mission.