BBC 4 Radio Appeal 2024 | Presented by Evanna Lynch | Full Audio

back in 2004 a newspaper article was published in the UK about children in Eastern Europe being kept in caged beds growing up in orphanages out of sight out of mind at around the same time oesa was 7 years old growing up in mova her family were very poor and with little social support they felt they couldn't give her the best start she was sent to live in a children's home it was a violent place she had to fight with other children to survive even for a piece of bread she was tied up and hit by her roommates lonely frightened and constantly humiliated there were few adults to intervene and certainly no love or Comfort Harry Potter author JK Rowling read about these orphanages and wanted to help so found of the charity lumus named after the light-giving spell in the Harry Potter books by 2006 Lumis was working with the maldovan government to close orphanages and reform care in the country it campaigned for legislative change properly assessed children in care and set up Social Services like education units for children with different needs it also finds Foster families and offers them the training and financial support they need to look after their foster children and this is how lumus helped oesa she was placed with foster parents near her birth family she settled in well and her life was transformed being woken each day by a caring foster parent felt so good she says and for the first time she knew what love meant lumus has helped many children like Alessa through its programs in Moldova Ukraine Kenya and Colombia it believes children are far better off in a family setting rather than an orphanage and oesa agrees she's 24 now and is finishing her degree in social care with a daughter of her own and strong connections with her foster family she's a passionate advocate for lumus even attending parliament in mova on behalf of institutionalized children she doesn't want any other child to go through what she did you can help support children grow up in a loving family by donating today and a generous individual will match donations up to a total of £40,000 just search online for BBC radio4 appeal or call 80044 8144 that's 80044 8144 or you can write a check to lumus foundation and send it to free poost BBC Radio 4 appeal that's the whole address and importantly please mark the back of your envelope lumus Foundation thank you