Harry Potter, Lumos, Orphanages, and Children In Families
You’ve heard of Harry Potter, right? Of course, most people have. Well what you might not know is that JK Rowling, the author of Harry Potter, also started a charity. The JK Rowling Lumos charity exists to “help the millions of children in institutions worldwide regain their right to a family.” And we think that’s a great focus!
How Lumos Started
For JK Rowling it all started over 10 years ago when she was on an orphanage visit. “I was shown into a room full of totally silent babies. They had learned that crying brought no comfort and their lack of interest in eye contact was eerie. The photographer wanted me to smile; I wanted to cry.” You can read more about her experiences in this Huffington Post article.
Since then Lumos has been working with government and other organizations to help create better pathways for children in need. Well just last week, Lumos launched an animation video that explains more about the problem and then opens viewers up to a potential solution.
Here’s Our Take On the Lumos Video
Basically…we love it! This video hits the nail on the head. Here are four big ideas that the video covers that we would want everyone to remember:
Early childhood brain development – attachments to caretakers and a lack of environmental stresses are huge factors in normal and healthy brain development for small children. Without those attachments and with the presence of stressors, the brain actually forms different connections, and this process is often irreparable.
Children with Disabilities – The video makes a special mention of children with disabilities and how they are more vulnerable. So true! Our ABLE program places and care for children with disabilities and it’s not easy…but it is possible!
The 80% Rule – It’s still amazing to me to this day, that up to 80% of children in orphanages are not actually orphans. The most recent UNICEF study in Cambodia found this to be true in Cambodia as well.
Follow the Money – The video mentions how the money trail can make a huge difference in the landscape of caring for children. By “better channeling existing donations” to support communities and where necessary family based care (CIF anyone, eh eh eh?). You can see the difference in costs in our children in adversity infographic.
What do you think?
Children in Families (CIF) is a local Christian non-profit working across the Kingdom of Cambodia to place vulnerable children in loving families. Through foster care, kinship care, emergency care, domestic adoption, and family-strengthening outreach, CIF works so that every child can grow up known, safe, and loved within a family, not an institution.
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