The Charity Show
J.K. Rowling’s Lumos: The global fight to keep children out of institutions - with Howard Taylor OBE
Published: 8 December 2025 at 01:01 Europe/London
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Episode notes
This week, Tim and Piers are joined by Howard Taylor, CEO of Lumos Foundation, the international charity founded by J.K. Rowling that is working to end the institutionalisation of children around the world.
Howard shares the staggering reality that four out of five children in orphanages aren’t orphans, the systems that separate families, and Lumos’s mission to help children grow up safely, with love, in families — not institutions.
Along the way, Howard reflects on Lumos’s 20-year journey, the challenges and breakthroughs of global child protection, and what needs to change if we’re serious about protecting the world’s most vulnerable children.
Between the conversation, Tim and Piers dive into the week’s charity news — from Giving Tuesday scam warnings to a controversial PETA Christmas ad — and shine the Small Charity Spotlight on two inspiring organisations supporting families through cancer.
In this episode
🌍 Why 80% of children in orphanages worldwide have at least one living parent — and what drives family separation.
👶 Lumos’s mission to end the institutional care of children and rebuild family- and community-based alternatives.
🏠 What deinstitutionalisation really looks like on the ground — and why it’s complex, long-term work.
💬 Howard’s reflections on leadership, working internationally, and staying mission-focused in difficult contexts.
📣 How storytelling, language and public perception influence global child-protection policy.
❤️ The role of hope, partnership and persistence when tackling huge systemic problems.Useful links
Lumos Foundation – https://www.wearelumos.org
Milly’s Smiles – Childhood Cancer Charity - Millys Smiles
The Brain Tumour Charity – https://www.thebraintumourcharity.org
PETA UK – https://www.peta.org.uk
The Good Studio – https://www.thegoodstudio.co.uk
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This episode is produced by The Good Studio – Creating great content for good causes.From podcasts and campaigns to film and copywriting, The Good Studio helps charities tell powerful stories that make people care.👉 Find out more at www.thegoodstudio.co.uk
