Having survived one genocide and witnessing another, One Young World Ambassador Taban Shoresh hopes peace is achievable in Syria and Iraq. Born out of her personal experience and in response to the humanitarian crises of Kurdistan, Taban founded The Lotus Flower, a non-profit that supports women and girls impacted by conflict and displacement. They are local implementers that work at the grassroots level to get right into the heart of the communities - they are currently supporting women and girl survivors of ISIS who have been traumatised with rape, sexual slavery and losing loved ones.
At the 2017 One Young World Summit, Taban spoke with three of the world’s most prominent peacebuilders Hassan Jallow, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Gambia & former Prosecutor of the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, Leyner Palacios co-founder of the Committee for the Rights of Victims of Bojayá, and former Public Protector of South Africa, Thuli Madonsela. After sharing her own personal story, they discussed how the rule of law can be established and maintained in a post-conflict society and the ways in which post-conflict justice can be achieved in order to build respect between former combatants.
She has just launched the #ThirtyFiveto350K appeal to drive support for The Lotus Flower:
"Taban Shoresh was imprisoned at the age of four with her family in 1986 and was nearly buried alive by Saddam Hussein's soldiers. You can listen to the harrowing story on BBC Worldwide Service Outlook.
Having survived hardship herself, Taban believes given the right tools, support and opportunities, vulnerable women and girls can thrive. Current projects at The Lotus Flower put women and girls at the centre, allowing them to choose the projects they want implemented, giving them a choice in rebuilding their future. Projects have proved to be extremely popular with The Lotus Centre over subscribed for courses in education and income generating projects. Supporting the local community is central to The Lotus Flower, hiring within, buying equipment and essentials locally too.
Despite recent launch, low funds, The Lotus Flower has a big heart and with that has managed to support over 350 women and girls in under one year.
Our founder and genocide survivor, Taban Shoresh, has chosen to celebrate her upcoming 35th birthday by aiming to raise £350,000 for displaced, vulnerable women and girls."
