It all started with a photograph in a newspaper. When, in June 2004, J.K. Rowling, the author of Harry Potter, saw the black and white image of a small boy – isolated, locked away from the world, far from his family and placed in an institution – she couldn’t look away.
Fighting for every child's right to a family
An estimated 5.4 million children around the world live in institutions - including so-called "orphanages", - which cannot meet their needs and exposes them to human rights abuses and enhanced risk of violence. The majority of these children, more than 80%, are not orphans, and have families who would care for them within the home if they had the required level of support and access to services in the community. Almost a century of research has proven that institutions harm children; a lack of community-based services is one of the main drivers of the institutionalization of children around the world.
Video Credit: Lumos Foundation
Moldova
Since Lumos started working in Moldova in 2006, they have helped reduce the number of children in orphanages from 11,551 to just 750 today, and prevented around 3,700 at-risk children from ever being placed in one. They have made significant successes, but a few key barriers remain. To prevent any more children from being driven into orphanages, Lumos needs to complete the final stage of care transformation so that every child in Moldova can grow up in a loving family, but therefore LUMOS needs our help. Your donation could not only help fund an innovative project to support vulnerable children, but will unlock further funding to help us transform the care system in Moldova. For good. Thank you for helping LUMOS give every child in Moldova the chance they need to thrive.
Click here for more information about our coorperation with Lumos Foundation
