Children psychologically damaged by inadequate parents and carers often get little help and are left to grow up into seriously maladjusted adults.It's thanks to Camila Batmanghelidjh that some 32,000 British children a year are now getting the help they desperately need through the two charities she set up - The Place To Be and Kids' Company.
She had to cope with severe childhood trauma herself after her wealthy Iranian father was arrested during the Iranian Revolution in the late seventies and had all his assets seized.
Then Camila's sister killed herself and all Camila's personal possessions were burnt by the Revolutionary Guard. She has never been able to return home.
She decided to devote her life to helping children similarly traumatised and disturbed by providing counselling, education, art therapy and other forms of support.
The children have experienced every possible crisis from physical abuse to mental health problems, substance abuse and homelessness.
Camila has remortgaged her North London flat twice as well as defaulting on mortgage payments in order to fund her two charities.
Now in her mid forties, she chose not to have children of her own so as to devote herself totally to other needy children. She works practically non-stop and is said to have not taken a holiday for 11 years.
Coming from an entrepreneurial family, she says she could have made a fortune from a commercial business but was only interested in working with less fortunate children.
I'm just astonished by her unwavering passion for those who have had such a raw deal in life when like many others she could have said "It's a terrible tragedy but there's nothing I can do about it." She thought differently and decided firmly that she could do something.
NB: All facts and figures are from Wikipedia and the BBC. They may not be completely accurate.
See also: Unsung heroines (1): human rights lawyer Gareth Peirce
