Barnardo's
Barnardo's is a United Kingdom based charity founded by Doctor Thomas John Barnardo in 1866 to care for vulnerable children and young people. As of 2004, it spends over £100 million each year on a wide variety of projects aimed at helping the same groups.
The charity was established when its founder Thomas Barnardo opened a school in the East End of London to care for and educate children of the area left orphaned and destitute by the recent cholera outbreak. In 1870 he founded an orphanage in Stepney Causeway with the same goals. By the time of his death in 1905, Barnardo's institutions cared for over 8,500 children in 96 locations. His work was carried on by his many supporters under the name Dr Barnardo's Homes.
Following societal changes in the mid 20th century, the charity changed its focus from the direct care of children to fostering and adoption, renaming itself Dr Barnardo's. Following the closure of its last traditional orphanage in 1989 it took the still simpler name of Barnardo's.
H.M. Queen Elizabeth II is the current patron of Barnardo's.
Today, the charity also works with disabled children, victims of sexual abuse, homeless children, and children and young people affected by HIV and AIDS.
