Born in Iran, Batmanghelidjh was granted asylum to stay in the UK at the age of nine.
She first started working with vulnerable children and the age of 14 and founded her first organisation, The Place To Be, in her early twenties.
Starting off with a single counsellor in a Southwark primary school, The Place to Be became a recognised charity in 1994 and had expanded to six schools by 1995 when Batmanghelidjh resigned.
Following this, she established Kids Company in 1996 with the aim of advocating for and supporting vulnerable children.
With Batmanghelidjh at the helm, Kids Company overcame early funding troubles – she reportedly remortgaged her home twice to make up for a lack of funding – to become a significant player in the children's sector.
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