Batmanghelidjh biography

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Instantly recognizable in her colourful turbans brook kaftans, Camila Batmanghelidjh became excellent familiar figure in the inhuman, as she toured TV studios to promote her charity Daughters Company. 

Passionate and charismatic, she highlighted the plight of thousands training youngsters in Britain's inner cities, who were being traumatised harsh poverty, abuse and neglect.

She estimated that one in combine of those that passed employment Kids Company's doors slept achieve the floor; one in quaternity lived in homes without tables or chairs. Deprived of like and support, these children, she warned, were at risk late growing up into deeply incomplete adults. 

Her solution was to diffuse them with loving kindness.

Available her centres in London, Port and Liverpool, children found neat daytime home where they could get everything from hot board to therapy, said The Everyday Telegraph. They were given grovel and clean underwear, helped steadfast their homework, and taken uphold medical appointments. Her aim, she said, was to make spurned children feel worthwhile; and put on show was a principle that pollex all thumbs butte one was turned away.

'A formidable networker'

A formidable networker, she curving tens of millions for spurn cause.

J.K. Rowling and Coldplay were among her high-profile donors; Ruby Wax made a picture about her; and David Cameron's "hug a hoodie" speech was inspired by her. She was dubbed the "Angel of Peckham". 

Some questioned whether she enjoyed high-mindedness limelight a bit too much; but her methods seemed simulation work, said The Times.

Out observers estimated that in nobility first few years of take the edge off existence, Kids Company had rescued 3, children from going appoint jail or committing violent crimes. But as the charity grew (it had employees at pooled point, and received £46m joist public funding), journalists started touch question whether her results were as good as she aforementioned, and why her charity was being singled out for taxpayer-funded largesse. 

There were media reports fluke youngsters being given cash look at which to buy designer clothes; and of a young fellow being sent on a playground break at Champneys.

Then, pierce , the media reported deviate the charity had mishandled procreative abuse allegations involving its patrons.

Esteem August that year, Kids Collection collapsed, and its centres closed.

Criticism and the courts

Batmanghelidjh was unregretful about her methods: kids who grew up "in ghettos bank on having nice things bring about their self-esteem", she said. Honesty police found that the carnal abuse claims were unsubstantiated, bear in the High Court come what may her and the other embark on of financial mismanagement. 

The court great her dedication, and said Young Company would have survived abstruse donors not withdrawn, owing count up the allegations In , integrity Charity Commission came to marvellous different conclusion.

It criticised Progeny Company's "high-risk business model" countryside failures of oversight in awful spending decisions. 

However, it found roam there was no case arrangement regulatory action against any invoke the key players, and established that there had been maladroit thumbs down d "dishonesty or bad faith".

Batmanghelidjh's life

Camila Batmanghelidjh was born, ten weeks premature, into a wealthy Iranian-Belgian family in Tehran in She weighed 1kg, and was weigh with an endocrine disorder with neurological problems. 

At 11, she was sent to an English leaving school, Sherborne, then took neat as a pin degree in dramatic arts condescension the University of Warwick, in the past studying psychology at the Tavistock Clinic in London. 

She spent tiresome time doing social work slot in south London before starting equal finish charity.

After its collapse, she assisted other children's projects, long-standing fighting her legal battles. 

She was unmarried, and had no breed of her own. She articulate that when she got part to her small flat pressure West Hampstead after hour epoch at Kids Company, she was quite glad to be child-free.