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  • Please welcome the star of the new

  • Warner Bros. film Fantastic Beasts

  • and Where To Find Them

  • Academy Award winner Eddie Redmayne.

  • Good evening ladies and gentlemen.

  • I am so excited that you are excited.

  • Welcome to Carnegie Hall and...

  • Thank you!

  • Welcome to a very what I hope is a very

  • special evening. More than 25 years ago,

  • an author put pen to paper and created

  • one of the most extraordinary stories

  • that the world has ever seen.

  • Her astounding imagination continues to

  • thrill us, it captivates us, it enthrals us,

  • it moves us, and it leaves us wanting more.

  • And tonight ladies and gentlemen,

  • there will be more!

  • But ten years ago, an unimaginable image

  • and an unthinkable story propelled her

  • down a very different path, where the

  • lives of millions of voices children

  • would need saving. The author is J.K. Rowling,

  • and the path is Lumos.

  • Tonight, we will cast a light on eight million

  • hidden children around the world

  • who desperately need our help.

  • [Narrated] A child's life is so much more than the

  • sum of its parts, and the love a family

  • brings hold everything together. From the

  • very beginning, a child thrives on

  • individual care and attention. The baby

  • quickly forges a bond with loving

  • parents, and because of this bond the

  • brain develops with remarkable speed and

  • complexity. Within a safe, secure and

  • stimulating environment, a child gets the

  • most out of life. In play, education and

  • friendship, their personalities develop

  • freely within safe bounds. But this

  • picture of childhood can be a fragile

  • one. Conflict and disaster can destroy

  • the foundations of family life. When

  • countries suffer the effects of extreme

  • poverty, the bonds which holds families

  • together can easily be broken apart. In

  • these circumstances, families can feel

  • they have no choice but to place their

  • child into a so-called orphanage -

  • especially if the child is disabled, and

  • needs care the family cannot afford.

  • Community support alternatives may not

  • exist. That orphanages do exist

  • locally may convince desperate parents

  • that there is no alternative. But once

  • the child enters an orphanage, a very

  • different picture of childhood can

  • emerge. The child must now compete for the

  • unique attention they crave. A lack of

  • individual care harms babies, and affects

  • their infant brains at a critical stage.

  • Any schooling they receive is no

  • compensation for the parental love they

  • are denied, and children can become cut

  • off from the world. Ill-prepared for life

  • outside, they have very poor life chances.

  • And they are much more likely to fall

  • victim to abuse and crime once they

  • leave an orphanage.

  • And we know there are at least eight

  • million of these children worldwide.But

  • there is hope, and it lies a very hard

  • problem.

  • Eighty percent of children in orphanages

  • are NOT in fact orphans, but have parents

  • or extended families who could care for

  • them, given some support. And by better

  • channeling existing donations, we can

  • support these vulnerable children at

  • home. By directing funds away from

  • so-called orphanages, we can transform

  • systems of care. We can establish

  • community based services, and prevent

  • these places from ever taking root.

  • Community-based services are a better

  • investment for donors, they are more

  • cost-efficient than residential care and they

  • reward children and communities in the

  • long-run.

  • Placing children into orphanages is a

  • choice and not a necessity.

  • It is preventable and reversible. And by

  • giving communities options in how they

  • support families, we can change the lives

  • of millions of children and give them

  • strong beginnings and the futures they deserve.

  • so now to hear more about Lumos and it's

  • life-changing work please welcome to the

  • stage its founder ladies and gentlemen

  • the extraordinary J.K. Rowling

  • thank you thank you very much so here we

  • are here we are this is a big deal this is

  • we're playing Carnegie Hall, we are, yes

  • it's actually my second time it was it

  • really alright, so in a short while we get to

  • show these people our little movie

  • yeah which is exciting and a little bit terrifying

  • um and we will get onto talking about

  • that in a little bit

  • but first the reason we're all here so

  • we've just seen this film

  • this is clearly a massive humanitarian issue

  • and a gigantic undertaking

  • I wondered why why this issue why is it

  • so close to your heart

  • well I think Eddie said it really well in

  • his introduction

  • it is the truth is that i saw it and use

  • a newspaper story about a very small boy

  • he was seven years old and he was

  • effectively being kept in a cage and I

  • was pregnant at the time and I saw this

  • image in the newspaper and it was such a

  • shocking image of this child holding onto

  • wire and screaming that I went to turn

  • the page i went to turn the page because

  • it was painful to look at and I felt

  • very ashamed as i went to the page I

  • thought no no you have to read the story

  • and if it's as bad as it looks you gotta

  • do something about it so I read the

  • story and it was even worse than it

  • looked so to cut a very long story short

  • the next

  • I I pulled out the young new story which

  • was all about an institution in the

  • Czech Republic were very young children

  • were being kept in appalling conditions

  • i went home the next day, monday

  • I started to write letters to anyone I

  • could think of MPs and MEPs and the

  • I wrote to the president of the Czech Republic

  • I wrote to everyone I could think of

  • and that led me to connecting with

  • experts in this field and the creation

  • of Lumos and so there are 8 million

  • children living in orphanages worldwide

  • that we know that we know of

  • see I think what's staggering with what

  • was amazing to meet my first began

  • finding out about this if these issues

  • you think how could eight million

  • children be going through this and we

  • don't know but at a very small amount of

  • thought shows you they are as as you

  • just said so

  • voiceless they are literally hidden from

  • sight so in fact eight million maybe a

  • conservative estimate there may be more

  • children who have been taken from

  • families that we don't know about

  • because record-keeping tends to be poor

  • which is one of the problems

  • and they are institutions and the we're

  • saying are harmful to children I suppose

  • I imagine not everyone agrees

  • absolutely so it is completely

  • understandable that we and by we I mean

  • wealthy Westerners we may have an idea

  • that institutions are kind kind in that

  • otherwise perhaps the child will be on

  • the street or the child is alone that's

  • completely understand what we tend to

  • have that image in our minds from movies

  • like Annie the orphanages can be kind of fun!

  • actually that's not true

  • even the well-run ones are proven as we

  • saw in that short film to do

  • often irreparable harm you will know

  • because he has it you have a baby now

  • who is five months five months old yup

  • and you will know as I know as all of us

  • who have anything to do with small

  • children know that they are hard-wired

  • to demand love they just come out

  • looking for it because that's what they

  • need for brain development and as was

  • shown in this movie we know that

  • children who are raised in institutions

  • suffer developmental delays they tend to

  • be physically stunted they normally have

  • psychological trauma it is just not what

  • nature intended for children to be

  • herded together and not given individual

  • individual loving care

  • and this sort of studies and statistics

  • absolutely so I'm not just saying this

  • plucking this out of the air to tell you

  • we have 80 years of research now that

  • shows very very clearly all the research

  • agrees that this is very harmful and in

  • fact Lumos works with scientists in the

  • field who will who can show you brain

  • scans showing the difference between a

  • child that's come from an

  • institution and a child has been raising

  • a family as the movie shown with one

  • large recent study shows that children

  • who come out of institutions were six

  • times more likely to have been abused

  • 10 times more likely to enter prostitution

  • 40 times more likely to have a criminal record

  • and they were 500 times more

  • likely to kill themselves

  • so you see we do have this enormous bank

  • of research telling us that we are

  • allowing or even inadvertently causing

  • children to be harmed for me one of the

  • complicated things get my head round and

  • I suppose for people in developed

  • countries like the US or the UK in which

  • institutionalization is a thing of the past

  • one of the things we struggle with I

  • suppose there's this sort of disconnect

  • in terms of how we view orphanages

  • I can completely agree i think a

  • small amount of thought shows us if you

  • imagine what would happen god forbid

  • were a terrible natural disaster to hit

  • New York tonight your everyone i think

  • would immediatley think what the important

  • thing is i keep my loved ones close to

  • we stay together and we get the

  • support we need to rebuild our business

  • find ourselves at home when we put

  • ourselves and our families in that in

  • that mentally in that position we

  • understand however what's happening

  • across the developed world is disaster hits

  • and families are immediately pulled

  • apart we'll take those children from you

  • now imagine that in the wake of the

  • disaster that people come to you and say

  • what if you get

  • that child will get fed only if you give

  • me that child and that's what we keep

  • propping up the system and it's causing

  • a huge amount of damage and so so is

  • that why families are being torn apart

  • is there they're sort of why do parents

  • give them all right exactly

  • this is that I mean for many people

  • that's the key questions so when I tell

  • people eighty percent of these these

  • children have parents then a an

  • understandable reaction is what loving

  • parent could give up their child to one

  • of these places but we know that there

  • are three main drivers into institutions

  • the biggest one the

  • overwhelming one is poverty so parents

  • who make themselves literally be starving

  • are told if you want to feed

  • that child we will take it to the institution

  • the child will get food in

  • the institution so they literally are

  • believe that's how my child will be fed

  • and survive i'll have to give the child

  • the other one is disability

  • we find in the developed world and certainly

  • this was the case in Eastern Europe

  • where we're doing a lot of work

  • children with disabilities were not integrated

  • and so parents again were told if you

  • want medical assistance for disabled

  • child or if you want that child educated

  • they have to go into the institution and

  • then the third driver is natural disaster

  • where that and this is where a

  • very nasty aspect of

  • institutionalization comes in it is

  • often the case in the developed world

  • the orphanages so-called orphanages are

  • run as businesses and that effectively

  • children are trafficked for profit

  • because we Westerners are generous and

  • we can we give a lot of money to these

  • orphanages and unfortunately there are

  • very unscrupulous people who in the wake

  • of disasters use it as an opportunity to

  • get children and corral children as a magnet

  • for foreign money, rather than putting

  • the money into systems of care that

  • would keep families together so since

  • 2010 there has been a seven hundred

  • percent increase in children and

  • institutions in haiti

  • so for me what is the solution account is

  • there what where does one go about it

  • obviously this is this is a massive

  • issue massive issue and as you would

  • imagine the solution is complex but I

  • bring hope

  • this is an entirely solvable issue

  • this is entirely solvable and we know

  • how to do it doesn't mean it's easy but

  • we know how to do it so it's a two-part problem

  • first of all we have these children

  • some of them living in truly appalling

  • conditions whom we need to rescue

  • the other part of the issue is we need to

  • stop children going into those

  • institutions in the first place

  • ever again

  • Lumos' ambition and we believe it's

  • achievable is that by 2050 we will

  • ended institutionalization globally

  • now that's going to be a huge amount of

  • work clearly but a lot of us are really

  • up for that

  • so first thing is we need to put into

  • into place different systems of care

  • and some very good news is institutions are

  • very very expensive to run and if we

  • just redirected the funds that are being

  • pumped into institutions we could

  • that alone would enable better systems of

  • care to be set up but you also need a

  • lot of expertise and what we do with

  • Lumos is, we work with people in country

  • who are already trying to change these

  • systems so that's the point I always

  • really like to get across, we are not

  • moving into countries and saying

  • let us show you how it's done

  • we are walking into countries because in

  • all of these countries there are experts

  • who know the system's wrong but they

  • don't have the money and they don't have

  • the clout and maybe they are connected

  • with the kind of people who can help them

  • change systems we can go in and help

  • will do that so that's what we do we go

  • in and we we try and affect the change

  • we also do things like provide I mean

  • we've provided urgent medical assistance

  • often two children we found in very very

  • bad situations and so on so it's it's

  • multi-layered and then the other thing

  • we do is advocacy so we work with place

  • like the UN and the EU to change policy

  • to stop this being the default position

  • when disasters happen

  • but i think i read that every year particularly in this

  • country millions of dollars are being

  • given to orphanages

  • that's right well Ihave these notes because i want to get

  • the figures right and because normally I

  • just make out of my head like people

  • say how many house elves are in the

  • Hogwarts kitchen and I just

  • but this is really important

  • I'm not saying house elves aren't important

  • they clearly have been massive

  • in my life

  • they mean a lot to a lot of people but I

  • want to get this right because this is this

  • is important so is this is an incredible figure

  • this is how much Americans give

  • to charity annually

  • how awesome are Americans it the answer

  • is 375 billion dollars

  • so I mean that is phenomenal

  • that's phenomenal and just warms ones heart

  • to think about generosity, now that money

  • was given with the absolute best

  • possible intentions

  • there's not one person here tonight i

  • know of any age that does not want to

  • help a child in trouble

  • it's a human it's a human instinct that

  • we all have, we know that that money

  • drove a lot of children into orphanages

  • who probably didn't need to be

  • well you you know what no child needs to be in an

  • orphanage but we know that it created a

  • drive-in and so what I would like

  • even if you never give us another penny

  • I'm so grateful for what you have given us tonight

  • we will always be able to

  • use money very effectively because they

  • say these children have very complex

  • needs but even if you never give us

  • another penny if you just walk out of

  • here tonight and explain to people that

  • donating to orphanages or volunteering

  • and orphanages is sometimes propping up

  • some very corrupt people making a lot of

  • money and if you give your money to

  • community-based services you can

  • actually help ten times as many children

  • just checking my notes ten times as many

  • children

  • you mentioned haiti that somewhere that is

  • obviously in our minds of the moment I wondered what

  • it is hugely in our minds

  • in my mind a lot at the moment because

  • we know and I have more figures here

  • these are new figures to me because

  • obviously there's recently been an

  • absolute catastrophe there, so we now

  • know that there are 30,000 children

  • institutionalized, and the same statistic

  • I keep quoting still applies

  • the overwhelming majority of those children

  • have at least one parent and

  • these are families whose livelihoods have been

  • swept away

  • these are families who were so desperate

  • that they thought that was the only way

  • they were going to keep that child alive

  • which which is an absolutely

  • heartbreaking thing to me and I i know

  • it will be to you also, there is a lot of

  • corruption in Haiti and we know that

  • there are people who are called child finders

  • not childminders

  • these child finders are out there persuading parents

  • to give up their children to orphanages

  • and making lots of promises to

  • them about what they can do that child

  • in terms of protection and care and

  • those children are not receiving

  • protection and care rather the reverse

  • we know that a lot of child trafficking

  • is going on and we also know that for

  • each child in an orphanage in Haiti

  • currently each child is attracting six

  • thousand dollars worth of foreign aid

  • and that's why it is becoming a business

  • so people with the best possible

  • intentions are giving money and I think

  • might be horrified to see what's going on

  • so what I'm saying to you is

  • God's sake don't stop giving money but

  • give it give it right give it to NGOs

  • that are working to replate you know to

  • give people back lively hoods and to

  • support communities not to institutions

  • and Hurricane matthew has exacerbated that

  • Hurricane Matthew was as we all know

  • an absolute nightmare

  • half a million people lost their livelihoods we have

  • 900 dead and it will allow

  • unless we intervene in the correct way

  • continue to prop up this very damaging

  • system and I I i do i will say I will

  • say this because i would like you all to

  • know that I would I put my money where

  • my mouth is I gave a million pounds last

  • week to Haiti to support community-based

  • services and i'm not saying it for that reason

  • i kind of cringe slightly

  • as I even say that

  • okay because I'm i'm not saying it for that reason

  • I'm saying that I, I'm not asking

  • anyone to give where I'm not already

  • giving but Haiti is a particular

  • catastrophe and I wanted to give extra

  • funds to haiti right now through Lumos

  • because Lumos is on the ground right

  • now affecting this kind of change

  • and really looking at those children and

  • those institutions

  • and recently Bonnie Wright and Evanna Lynch so Ginny Weasley

  • and Luna Lovegood from the potter films

  • who we love and I think Bonnie and

  • I think Bonnie is here this evening but they are

  • two incredibly dedicated Lumos

  • ambassadors who visited Haiti and they

  • not only saw the horrific conditions but

  • also they saw the solution that you've

  • been talking about Jo and we actually

  • have some footage from the trip here

  • Hi my name is Bonnie Wright and I'm an

  • actress and director he may know me as

  • Ginny Weasley from the Harry Potter films

  • today I'm in Haiti with the

  • Evanna Lynch, who you may know as Luna Lovegood

  • we decided to come to Haiti

  • because we're concerned about the 30,000

  • children living here in orphanages

  • instead of at home with their families

  • eighty percent of these children have

  • parents who want to care for them, but cannot

  • i was incredibly shocked and

  • upset to find the conditions of the

  • first orphanage we visited, I heard so much

  • about the work that Lumos were doing

  • and from some of the workers here at Lumos

  • and what exactly these

  • institutions were like, but I think

  • coming out of this first experience

  • just highlighted how incredibly important

  • Lumos' work here is in Haiti

  • the most important thing that I took away

  • from today is understanding that

  • children really need to grow up in

  • families, witout a family and without love

  • children can't be children

  • the most important thing as a child is to be with

  • your family and you have to do everything

  • you can to keep that family unit in place

  • They are, they are but you know, we think that

  • obviously be doing a lot of work in

  • Latin America now it's an area that does

  • have a problem with institutionalization

  • but we are very hopeful at Lumos that

  • we could reach a tipping point in five

  • years or so, where we can we can change

  • policy we think that by

  • we are very hopeful that by 2035 if we can get the

  • funds we will be able to stop

  • institutionalization in Latin America

  • we believe that yeah

  • so it's solvable? It is solvable

  • it sounds overwhelming when

  • you think of that number of children and the complexity

  • i'm not denying

  • the solutions are complex but Lumos is

  • working with absolute experts in this

  • field they know what they're doing they

  • know how to make it work and what they

  • need the funds and the support

  • and the last thing I would say particularly to

  • young people in the audience today I

  • would reiterate we need to change minds

  • we need to change minds because while

  • people are putting money into these

  • orphanages and what people are

  • volunteering in orphanages a lot of

  • corruption flourishes around those

  • institutions, there is a sense that we

  • are as ever with the best intentions

  • propping up something that's very

  • damaging those children should be with their families

  • and if they can't be with families

  • foster care or adoption or

  • supported living in small family style units

  • are all proven to be the best

  • possible alternatives

  • what can we do? Tell us what we can do!

  • I think it's two part as I say so number one

  • I am going to firstly say I could

  • not be more grateful all of you being

  • here tonight we've already done the most

  • enormous amount for us to raise money

  • for us and thank you thank you

  • so fifty percent of what you can do if

  • you want to fundraise for us, I will be

  • forever in your debt

  • the other half though as I say is

  • the other thing you can do is if everyone who is

  • here tonight walked out of here and said

  • I get the issue i know the

  • institutionalization is wrong and in

  • future when i donate when I hear a

  • friend donating and saying they want to give

  • some money where Christmas i will say

  • not the orphanages so but look if you

  • want you want to give it to a child in

  • the developing world look at

  • community-based services

  • we're not the only NGO working in the

  • field we are one of several so do a

  • little bit of research and make sure

  • that you are supporting families to stay together

  • we will spread the word, we will spread the word

  • that is our job spread the word

  • and I've got to say having known so little about

  • it before it's it's an extraordinary

  • thing and it's a complicated thing but

  • as you say solvable and um you must be

  • incredibly proud of the work that Lumos are doing

  • I am, it's the thing it's

  • probably the thing of which i'm most proud

Please welcome the star of the new

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