Inspiring People

Camila Batmanghelidjh

Some of the qualities of Camila Batmanghelidjh are that she has great generosity, optimism and kindness as well as true friendhip.

She was born in Tehran in 1963 but came to England to go to a private school. Camila Batmanghelidjh's life aim has been to act as a force for setting up services for vulnerable children. She is severely dyslexic. She completed her studies using a tape recorder instead of pen and paper.

She completed her degree in theatre and dramatic arts at Warwick University. For four years, she trained in psychotherapy. She also worked with children as a nanny, and discovered a talent for the work.

She founded the charity 'Kids Company' in 1996. The charity is based in London and is devoted to 'lone' children. These are children and young people who experience difficulties because their parent is unable to function as a caring adult. She used her mortgage repayments to set up 'The Place to Be', offering psychotherapy and counseling to children in schools. It is now a national project and serves in excess of 20,000 children a year.

� Batmanghelidjh won the Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2005.
� She was also nominated in The Good List 2006, of exceptional people.
� She appeared at the 2006 Conservative Party Conference.
� She was awarded the Woman of the year award for 2006 in recognition of her work with Kids Company.

Camila Batmanghelidjh states:
� 'Child protection in this country is dangerously neglectful.'
� 'I can cope with the practical problems, but the children's stories turn my stomach and make me cry.'
� 'I never hide my emotions, because the whole point is to bring their emotions back to life.'
� 'I wouldn't be here if I didn't deeply believe these kids can get better.'