J.K. Rowling established Lumos to help disadvantaged children worldwide.
The organization was founded in 2005 as the Children’s High Level Group and was renamed Lumos in 2010. Its work focuses on ending the institutionalization of children and supporting family- and community-based care instead.
Lumos argues that children separated from families need safe, individual support rather than long-term residence in large institutions. Its programs have worked with governments and local partners in countries including Moldova, Bulgaria, Haiti, and Colombia, helping develop alternatives to institutional care.
The name Lumos comes from a magical light-producing charm in the Harry Potter books. Despite that connection, Lumos is a real-world charity concerned with child protection, social care, and family preservation rather than literary activities.