Our ‘Cash for Work’ team transform local sites

If you follow us on social media, you’ll probably have seen our ‘Cash for Work’ initiative in action – which is providing paid short-term employment for 200 young women and men locally.

The project, supported by BMZ and implemented by GIZ and ourselves, is addressing immediate economic needs, while also helping preserve and restore ancient sites and mitigating against climate change threats. It’s taking place In Duhok and Ninewa governorates, with 40 days of paid work for each of the 200 participants.

One of the activities is called ‘Art can change climate change,’ and has seen giant murals painted on public walls by creative participants in order to raise awareness about environmental risks.

Speaking of the Cash for Work programme, our Regional Director Vian says: “This project is important not only because it offers job opportunities, but because it allows young people to demonstrate their abilities and skills.”

In an effort to preserve local culture, another group is helping the Directorate of Antiquity in restoring two historic castles, Kambalan and Dilbe. By undertaking this work, they are not only preserving such monuments for the enjoyment of future generations, but also safeguarding the collective memory of the city’s rich heritage and history.

Another major project activity aims to help combat climate change and strengthen community resilience through an afforestation campaign across Duhok governorate and Ninewa plain. Thousands of fruit trees are being planted, expanding green zones and areas of shade, while also helping increase the absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The trees will additionally help boost food security, offering a promise of future harvest as well as a tangible symbol of resilience and sustainability for the community.

Meanwhile, another group of newly graduated women and youths are working in public nurseries, with thousands of seedlings planted to support the local environment, and create greener, more sustainable community spaces for the city. Through this work, the participants are also increasing their practical knowledge and hands-on agricultural skills, which in turn will prepare them for employment opportunities.

Complementing these activities, a big cleaning campaign is also underway, targeting public areas such as schools, markets and parks. The clean-up aims to increase awareness of the climate change challenges faced by Iraq and the need to better care for our planet. Participants are not only improving the visual look of their community, but their actions are showing others the importance of collectively taking care of our environment.

It’s great to see the positive impacts being made and the visible changes to these landmarks and natural environments…

Storytelling as activism: Interview with our CEO Taban

After our CEO Taban recently attended a Women, Peace and Security conference in the Hague with our partners Cordaid, the organisation has published a great article on the power of storytelling in activism.

In it, Taban refers to her own journey and her recognition that conveying uniquely personal stories was always going to be a major part of the Lotus Flower’s mission.

She says: “I knew that storytelling was going to be a big foundation of how to move it forward and I utilised my own personal lived experience to really help us push that narrative through.”

Photo by Mickael Franci

The conference was part of Cordaid’s Women Voices First programme, which has established partnerships with more than 30 Iraqi civil society organizations (CSOs) and women’s rights organizations (WROs) to advance the WPS agenda, with a strong emphasis on localised support.

You can read the full piece with Taban here.

Meet our Boxing Sisters trainer Nathifa

As an integral part of the Lotus Flower team, we’re so pleased for you to know more about Nathifa, our Boxing Sisters trainer.

She has been displaced for a decade, and was forced to flee her hometown of Khanasor during the ISIS conflict. “We left everything behind and came here without having anything to eat,” she says.

After finding herself at Rwanga displacement camp, Nathifa began volunteering with the Lotus Flower in 2016, which she did for more than a year. She then began providing yoga and boxing sessions for other women and girls in the camp.

As a certified boxing trainer, she now runs our hugely popular Boxing Sisters programme at Rwanga, which is currently being supported by Medica Mondiale.

Speaking of her role in teaching participants boxing, Nathifa says: “Self-defence skills are essential in our daily lives, and I enjoy knowing that my coaching and training builds positive thinking and shows girls how to manage daily stress and gain muscle.

“I have a close relationship with all the girls inside the camp and try to help them when they’re having a tough time.”

Nathifa recalls another incident where she has personally made a real difference to a woman’s life, saying: “One survivor refused to leave her house. She had two children, and one day in my lunch break I visited her, but she still refused to leave. I kept visiting her until I convinced her to attend our literacy and sport classes.

“She was living in very poor conditions, and only had one blanket to cover herself and her kids. I tried to help her through donations here from the camp management, and asked other humanitarian NGOs to help. She now lives in an apartment provided for her, and keeps thanking me for what I did.”

Nathifa says having such a positive impact on other survivors brings her real benefits, too. “My work with the Lotus Flower enhances my own mental health, because my skills make a change in other people’s lives.”

in her day-to-day role, Nathifa values being part of the Lotus Flower family, adding: “All of my colleagues are very cooperative, and the management team are just like friends. We don’t hesitate to ask for help, because everyone is so supportive.”

In future, she hopes to get her international boxing qualification, as well as more advanced kit and equipment to benefit those she teaches. We’ll certainly do everything we can to make sure that happens!

Watch this Instagram video about our Boxing Sisters…

We attend Women, Peace & Security conference in the Hague with Cordaid

Our CEO Taban and Regional Director Vian were delighted to join a delegation of women human rights activists for a conference on Women, Peace & Security (WPS) in The Hague recently.

They were part of an advocacy group led by our long-term partners Cordaid through its ‘Women Voices First’ programme.

During the week-long event, Taban and Vian contributed to some useful sessions with other women and youth delegates from civil society, women-led organisations and NGOs, Dutch parliamentarians and policy decision-maker, all committed to advancing the WPS agenda.

Talking points included the intersections between poverty, women’s socio-economic empowerment, post-conflict recovery and peacebuilding efforts in fragile countries, and we were able to provide our unique on-the-ground perspectives and emphasise the importance of partnerships for locally-led development.

With political and regional conflicts continuing in Iraq, civil society and women rights organisations like ours face considerable challenges in advancing peace and security efforts and human rights work.  

The aim of the conference was for key stakeholders to be able to discuss current geopolitical and security matters, while exploring the implications on civic participation.

Women Voices First is funded under the British National Action Plan 1325 and the Conflict Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), and is implemented by Cordaid, in collaboration with organisations such as the Lotus Flower. Its primary objective is to enhance the representation of women in peacebuilding and governance processes across Iraq and Kurdistan, with an emphasis on localised support.

We’re so pleased to be at the forefront of these crucial discussions…

Sisters' Stories: "Women and girls are strong enough to make radical changes in their community"

Fatima is an incredibly courageous young woman who we’ve been able to support through one of our livelihoods projects with SEZ.

Originally from a village in the district of Bashiqa, she is a survivor of physical and psychological violence, and was forced to quit her studies at university by an abusive husband.

Fatima eventually got divorced, but then suffered more misfortune when she fell ill with a tumour. She managed to keep studying despite a gruelling hospital treatment programme, and thankfully, she eventually recovered and was able to graduate.

A year later Fatima remarried, and after her father bought a house for her and her new husband, she decided to seek employment to help stave off depression she was experiencing.

It was then that she applied for our livelihoods opportunity in Bashiqa, which saw her participate in business management training. She was then able to embark on a career in photography, and soon afterwards opened her own ‘Sama Studio’ in her village. As well as offering photography, printing and framing services to clients, she sells stationery items to students, and now earns a modest income to support herself and her husband.

Having made a success of her business, Fatima says: “This was the first chance I had to use my skills practically. I am convinced that women and girls are strong enough to make radical changes in their community, and now most people accept the idea that they can run a business successfully.”

Fatima is pleased to have become something of a role model for other women and girls in her area, and she has also written essays and articles about social and domestic issues for Iraqi and Kuwaiti newspapers.

SEZ, also known as the Baden-Württemberg Development Cooperation Foundation, has been one of our key partners since 2020. Together, we have delivered multiple several successful projects, including awareness-raising around the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse. And as a huge supporter of our Women’s Business Incubator programme, SEZ has helped us change the lives of many other women like Fatima.

We hope to keep creating such opportunities for a long time to come!

All the news and photos from our big UK launch night

We’re so happy to share the news about the official launch of The Lotus Flower UK, which took place in Hastings in Sussex recently.

Our small UK team was delighted to be joined by a roomful of friends and volunteers as we opened the doors to our little event space and shop on the seafront.

During the evening there was lots of inspiring conversation, food and drink, and we enjoyed two beautiful sets from musician tygermylk, who transfixed everyone with her heartfelt songs.

The evening included a raffle too – and we’re so grateful to all those who donated prizes locally. We also began selling creative items made by women from all over the world, including colourful rugs and bags from Kurdistan.

Meanwhile, our Founder Taban gave a speech in which she thanked everyone who has helped us finally kickstart our work in the UK, and our Community Manager Sarah pointed out all the different features of the shop, including a co-working area which is now available for freelancers to use. As a donations-based space, you can work amongst likeminded people, share creative ideas and meet new people, all while giving back for good. If you’re interested in registering for co-working, please email Sarah on sarah@thelotusflower.org.

Hot on the heels of the launch, we also held our first workshop with Healing Souls, in which wellbeing coach Lauren explored the concept of the inner child. We’ll be holding lots more events over the coming months, and if you’d be keen to run your own creative or holistic workshop for the community, either as a series or a one-off, please do fill in this form and let us know.

We’re also looking for volunteers to help us keep the space open day-to-day, and if that’s something you could help with occasionally, you can complete the form here.

In the gallery below, you can see many more photos from the launch event – and a massive thanks goes out to JJOY Freelance for so many lovely images of such a memorable night…

Inside The Lotus Flower’s first Women and Climate Action conference

We are extremely proud to have organised and hosted our first ever Women and Climate Action conference this week.

The event at the Rixos Hotel in Duhok brought together a range of high-profile speakers and guests for important discussions around the most pressing impacts of climate change on women and girls, and ways in which we need to work together to tackle them.

Our Regional Director Vian welcomed Benjamin Hanna, Acting Consul General of Germany in Erbil

Kindly funded by the German Consulate in Erbil, the conference included a keynote speech by Dr Nazand Begikhani, Senior International Advisor to the KRI President on Gender and Higher Education, who stressed the importance of learning from climate-friendly practices of Kurdistan’s older generation. She also referenced scientific studies which show how women and girls are most vulnerable to the rising threats of climate change.

Dr Nazand Begikhani spoke about the climate threats facing women and girls

We also had welcome contributions from Duhok Governorate office and Dr Khanzad Ahmed, Secretary General of the High Council for Women and Development, who was representing the Kurdistan Regional Government. She said: “We are working at a high level to incorporate women’s views and demands into government policies, programs and initiatives. As you all know, this is not an easy task, but there is an opportunity now, and we want it. Climate change can have profound and multifaceted impacts on women, peace, and security, exacerbating existing vulnerabilities and creating new challenges. We must fight against the violence that women face due to climate change.”

Dr Khanzad Ahmed was representing the KRI Government

Dr Khanzad also spoke of the importance of everyone playing a role in tackling the issues at institutional level – through organisations, governments and the private sector – as well as at regional, national and global levels.

Another conference highlight was a topical panel discussion, which was moderated by Yasemin Sener from UNHCR Iraq. Speakers on the panel included Kadry Furani, the Country Director of CARE Iraq, who drew upon the strong connections between climate change and violence against women and girls, and how those living in displacement are especially impacted. Additionally, he explained how organisations and civil society can begin to reduce harmful environmental impacts through improved daily practices in the workplace.

Our panel in action

Fellow panellist Benjamin Hanna, Acting Consul General of Germany in Erbil, provided useful insights into Germany’s Feminist Foreign Policy, which calls for equal participation in the community and also focuses on women and climate change. Other speakers on the panel were Sirwa Rasool, Director General of the Joint Crisis Coordination Center, and Kareen Zuher, CEO of Karini Tav renewable energy company.

Meanwhile, our Regional Director Vian emphasised the importance of mainstreaming gender in climate-related interventions, and called for women and girls to have greater participation in climate action. She also told the audience that this is a key priority for the Lotus Flower, and that we hope to implement more projects which reflect this in the near future.

Our Regional Director Vian addressed the audience

A video was also shown about the Lotus Flower’s work to date, touching upon our Founder Taban’s journey and what inspired her to start the organisation back in 2016. There were also public displays showcasing some of our work, including our recent Earth Sisters climate project, and a musical performance by our partners at Nudem NGO.

With Iraq now recognised as the world’s fifth most vulnerable country to climate change and women and girls bearing the brunt of its effects, we were so glad to have the chance to further such conversations and explore solutions through our conference, and we look forward to many similar opportunities in future…

How refugee Muhammed is rebuilding his life with his thriving in-camp shop

Muhammed is an inspiring survivor we support, who experienced the full atrocity of war and conflict in Syria.

“Our house was bombarded,” he says. “My sister's back was severely wounded, my nephew’s arm was cut in half and my niece's foot is still disabled.”

Muhammed, from Hassakah, has always needed special care and a wheelchair as he cannot walk. He has now been a refugee for almost 10 years and lives at Domiz 2 camp.

Previously, Muhammed had a small shop providing TV box and satellite receiver tools, but he had few items to sell and struggled financially because his mother was very ill. Until she sadly passed away, the family spent most of their money on her medicine and treatment.

His shop grew ever more empty, and some days he would not even open to the public.  Though he tried repeatedly to grow his business in order to support his family, he lacked the financial means to invest in it.

Then Muhammed heard about our She Leads in Food Security project and applied to take part. He was selected according to the vulnerability criteria as well as a technical assessment, and he then participated in our Get Ahead Business Training sessions.

As one of the beneficiaries who also received a financial grant, his venture could really begin, and he relaunched his shop. “When The Lotus Flower came along with this project, everything started to get better,” he says.

Being able to afford the things he needed for the business led to more customers coming to the shop, meaning they could meet their needs more sustainably, without having to leave the camp.

The support also allowed Muhammed to buy relevant equipment – such as a security camera and a laptop for installing satellite and TV programs to make his work more efficient. He also plans to use space in his shop for professional printing and scanning services.

He promotes his business through social media, attracting clients from outside the camp, and says that the project has been highly beneficial in enabling his personal and professional growth, with his father now even assisting him in the shop.

“The grant helped me psychosocially too, as I have stronger self-confidence and better networking and marketing skills. The experience I got from the business training also helped me communicate with customers and manage my shop better.”

We’re just delighted that our project – delivered in partnership with Care Iraq through Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH – made such a difference to Muhammed’s life…

Meet our Psychologist and GBV Coordinator Alind

Alind is our Psychologist and Gender-Based Violence Coordinator, who first started working with the Lotus Flower three years ago, while studying for an MA in Psychotherapy and Psycho-traumatology.

He now works at our Essyan, Domiz 2 and Rwanga camp centres, and plays a big part in our violence protection project with UNTF. As Alind says: “We provide psychological therapy sessions for groups and individuals, Positive Masculinity workshops, GBV awareness, case management, livelihoods support and business management training.”

Using carefully tailored techniques such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Narrative Exposure Therapy for PTSD, Alind adds: “Some people think we just come from home and listen to peoples’ problems and give them some advice.

“But the fact is, we professionally diagnose their condition and prepare a plan according to the individual, and use specific techniques to improve their mental health. It takes a lot of time and effort. Sometimes we spend four hours in one therapy session.”

Although it is often challenging work, it can bring huge benefits to people’s lives, and recalling a case where he has personally made a difference, Alind says: “Due to poor financial conditions, one woman gave up her two children because she couldn’t care for them. But with a financial grant from the Lotus Flower and psychotherapy sessions, she now runs her own successful business and has taken her children back. She also feels well mentally.” 

Offering vital mental health and wellbeing support is important to everyone at the Lotus Flower, and for Alind, it provides plenty of job satisfaction and personal reward. “I hear a lot of stories of women and girls who have been displaced for more than 10 years, and so many feel hopeless. But when I can be a bridge moving them from a bad place to a good one, it makes me happy.”

In the future, Alind wants to continue his studies and pursue a PhD in psychotherapy – and we are certain he will be highly successful in his next endeavours…

How we're protecting vulnerable children and young people

As a part of our ongoing general protection project with Care Iraq through funding from ECHO, our team continue to conduct a range of activities with children which help keep them safe from harm.

This includes child protection case management, which targets those most in need of support, advice and referrals to specialised health, psychosocial and legal services.

In addition, awareness sessions are regularly held with women and adolescent girls in safe spaces on topics such as early and child marriage, domestic violence, reproductive rights, sexual abuse and exploitation, the significance of girls' education, cyber abuse and the causes and effects of GBV. These sessions reach participants within their own homes, at our centres and in school settings.

As another key element of the project, we also enhance young people’s skills through child resilience sessions, where participants are taught how to communicate with each other in more productive and healthier ways, as well as how to cope better with the many hardships they may face on a daily basis.

We also engage children through art therapy sessions, where they are encouraged to express themselves in more creative ways. The classes help improve their wellbeing, enabling them to share their feelings in non-verbal ways.   

We believe the work we are doing with this younger generation is crucial in order to safeguard and protect them from future issues and harms. We also maintain that by providing them with an understanding of vital protection concepts, the project will in turn help inform their roles in creating healthier, more resilient and fairer communities.

Elsewhere, the project is targeting hundreds of vulnerable women and men in urban locations around Seje, Sharya, Khanke and Derabon, providing mental health support as well as emergency cash assistance for those who are unable to meet the cost of essentials – such as rent, medical equipment or transportation fees.

We’re so pleased we have the chance to make a difference to so many lives in this way…

Sisters’ Stories: “I am thankful for my successful sewing job”

Hayam is originally from Sinjar but was displaced due to conflict in 2014, and now lives in Essyan camp. “We suffered a lot,” she recalls. “There was death, hunger and we spent a terrible week on Sinjar mountain. When ISIS attacked, they captured people and killed them, taking some as hostages. Everything was bad, and our lives were in danger.” 

When Hayam heard about our She Leads in Food Security project last year, she decided to apply. The project focused on improving the economic status of displaced people, refugees and returnees through income-generating initiatives and climate-smart agriculture, and also included business training for participants.  

The project was well suited to Hayam, because in the past, she had been talented at sewing, but had few opportunities to pursue her ambitions. “I used to borrow a sewing machine from a friend and make dresses and sell them,” she says.

After taking part in our business training sessions, she was selected to receive a financial grant, and this enabled her to set up independently. “I bought my own machine and opened a sewing shop. It has been good for me,” she adds. “I am thankful for my successful job.”

Using her skills, Hayam makes and sells various different types of clothing to the community, including traditional white dresses worn regularly by Yazidi women – which you can see in the pictures.

We delivered the She Leads in Food Security programme in partnership with Care Iraq through Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. The project has also seen many other successful businesses launch – including several farming and agricultural ventures, as well as a café for girls. We also handed over the running of eight previously derelict greenhouses to a group of women at Essyan camp, so they can feed their families healthy foods and sell vegetables to the local market.

We love seeing how the project is providing so many opportunities for women to be self-reliant and economically independent…

support our livelihoods work

DONATE TO HELP US REACH MORE WOMEN LIKE HAYAM

Sisters’ Stories: "This garden brings an indescribable sense of mental peace"

Taqsima is a 65-year-old woman originally from Damascus, who was forced to leave her home due to the Syrian conflict more than a decade ago.

“We fled because youths were being abducted and forcibly recruited into the military,” she says. “Due to the lack of shelter, tough financial circumstances and limited job opportunities, we decided to migrate to Kurdistan in 2013.”

Although Taqsima always had a passion for agriculture and growing plants and flowers, she had little outdoor space and no way of being able to further her interest.

However, earlier this year we opened a community garden at Domiz 2 camp, which was part of our She Leads in Food Security project, delivered in partnership with CARE Iraq through funding by GIZ. The garden aims to improve food security, with raised beds for growing fresh vegetables and plants, and Taqsima is one of its beneficiaries.

She enrolled in our agricultural training course, saying: “Despite my age, I participated in the course, and after two months, I now cultivate parsley, rocket and other vegetables and plants. I spend most of my time taking care of my garden.”

It’s a well-known fact that getting outdoors and gardening is hugely beneficial to our physical and mental health, and Taqsima adds: “My health and wellbeing have improved significantly. I've made new friends, I walk more, and I’ve gained more interest and knowledge about vegetables and plants. Visiting the garden brings an indescribable sense of mental peace.”

It’s feedback like this that makes what we do at the Lotus Flower so rewarding, and why we’re so keen to reach women of all ages.

And with food security and climate change posing such a severe threat to Iraq, we believe these sorts of initiatives will become increasingly important in the coming months…

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Free Human: Watch this powerful new film about our CEO Taban and our work

We’re so pleased to share with you a new short film, Free Human, which explores the story and courageous journey of our founder Taban, as well as the Lotus Flower’s work to date. 

The video has been made by Sorelle Amore, an influencer and content creator who visited our projects in Kurdistan last October. As you’ll see in her powerful 25-minute video, her trip made quite an impression.

Sorelle’s beautiful film shows many of our programmes for women and girls in action, including child protection sessions, art therapy, music and literacy classes, while she also visits our renovated greenhouses and some of the women’s businesses we’ve supported in recent years. “They will receive a little bit of money after they’ve done a three-month business training programme,” she explains in the film.

“The demand is so high because these services are just not here, so all of a sudden they become super-busy… [These women] can sustain themselves and their families in the community, so it’s pretty special.”

After meeting members of our team as they go about their daily work, Sorelle also comments: “Every single one of the people on the ground is local… These people are so in love with that they do, they’re so proud of what they’ve created. They’re so proud of the organisation – you can see it.”

In the film, Taban also shares her moving story of surviving genocide as a child, being imprisoned with her family and almost buried alive in a mass grave, as well as her later struggles with an abusive marriage and years of chronic illness.

Reflecting on our work and results, Sorelle says in the video: “The most amazing thing about the Lotus Flower that I'm still digesting is that this is a pretty new organisation and the scale of this organisation is huge, and the impact is enormous.”

And recognising the fundamental ethos and strategy of the Lotus Flower, she tells Taban: “Now you have 200 staff, that are helping all these women, children, some men, that are going through these very isolating moments, and you’re helping to free them. But you’re giving them the tools, you’re not doing it for them. You’re helping, you’re assisting… you’re asking what do they need.”

We’re so delighted with the story told by Free Human, and are incredibly grateful to Sorelle for shining a spotlight on our story in this unique way…

You can follow Sorelle on Instagram and watch the full video below…

Our CEO Taban receives OBE for services to refugees

We’re thrilled to share the news that our Founder and CEO Taban has received an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the New Year’s Honours list for 2024.

Taban’s honour is for services to Refugees and Displaced Conflict Survivors in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, and the award will be presented by King Charles or another British royal representative at a special investiture ceremony over the coming months.

On learning of her award, Taban said: “I’m very happy and honoured with this recognition. I came here as a refugee at the age of six seeking safety. Fast forward many years and I'm delighted that I get the opportunity to give back and help those in need. I believe with more compassion, empathy and action we can all be change-makers in this world.”

As you are probably already aware, Taban was imprisoned as a child in Kurdistan, northern Iraq, during Saddam Hussein’s regime, and she and her family narrowly escaped a plot to bury them alive before they were rescued by Amnesty International and flown to the UK as refugees.

In 2016, she started the Lotus Flower in response to the ISIS attacks in her homeland, and to date the organisation has supported more than 60,000 vulnerable conflict survivors through a range of projects and programmes.

An OBE is awarded to those who are deemed to have played a major role in any field or service, and is often given to those whose work has made them known nationally in their chosen area.

We’re sure you’ll join us in wishing Taban huge congratulations for this incredible honour, which after so many years of hard work and commitment, is richly deserved…

Apply for our new livelihoods opportunity here

We're so pleased to announce a new livelihoods opportunity for 2024, which will provide 'Cash for Work' opportunities for vulnerable women, men, youths and people with disabilities in Duhok and Nineveh governorates.

With kind support from Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, this project will facilitate access to employment opportunities and help address some of the region's most pressing socio-economic challenges.

We are now inviting women, men and those with disabilities to apply as soon as possible to be considered for this opportunity. To do so, please complete the form here as soon as possible.

Please note that due to very high expected interest and the anticipated volume of applications, we will only be able to respond to those who are selected for further consideration. Thank you.

Our CEO's huge week at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva

This year has ended on a real high for the Lotus Flower after our CEO Taban played a key part in the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva recently.

Held by UNHCR every four years, the Global Refugee Forum brings together decision-makers and stakeholders from around the world, including refugees themselves. It aims to find solutions and create individual pledges and actions for the world's refugees and the countries and communities that host them.

Taban was part of two multi-stakeholder pledges; the first one was ‘Gender Equality and Protection from Gender-Based Violence.’ Under this pledge, we are committed to creating a unique Peace Centre in Kurdistan, which will be funded locally by the German Federal Government BMZ, and will also be supported by the Kurdistan Regional Government's High Council of Women's Affairs. 

Following an introduction by UNHCR High Commissioner Filippo Grandi, Taban made the big announcement about the pledge, and you can watch it here.

As an extension of our previous Peace Sisters projects, the Peace Centre will unite women from different faiths, ethnicities and backgrounds, promoting their peace and security and helping amplify their roles in leadership, mediation and conflict resolution. We’ve been working to secure support for the centre for a couple of years now, so it’s great that our goal is starting to take shape.

Secondly, Taban was a member of the Referencing Group which collaborated with ICVA and UNHCR to form a joint Multistakeholder Advancing Localisation Pledge. This is vital to ensure that local people and communities are involved and heard in all actions and responses around displacement and statelessness.

At a parallel event on advancing localisation, Taban was asked to deliver the closing remarks around this pledge, which you can see here. We were particularly pleased to hear Kelly T. Clements, Deputy High Commissioner at UNHCR stressing afterwards that this is exactly the approach that’s needed to bring lasting change.

Elsewhere during a busy week, Taban moderated a panel discussion which was called ‘Women As Agents of Change – Investing in Displaced Women's Local Solutions to Global Crises’. It was great to hear from Gillian Triggs, the Assistant High Commissioner for Protection at UNHCR, who spoke of Taban’s own “remarkable” impact - which you can see in this clip on our socials here.

Overall, the Global Refugee Forum was such an important event for Taban to be so heavily involved with, and we believe it shows just how far we have come as an organisation, and how much our work is now being recognised on the international stage.

We’ll of course keep you posted about our progress in 2024!

Sisters’ Stories: Zahra and Shatha launch a joint events business

Zahra and Shatha are two women who have recently been able to start an events business together, thanks to our livelihoods project with SEZ.

Previously, the two women had struggled to find good employment opportunities, and they told us: “It is really hard and challenging to graduate from university and not find any jobs to contribute to the community and play an effective role in bringing change.”

But after taking part in small business training and receiving funding through the project, the pair have set up an events company in Rojbayan village, which is located between Bashiqa and Bartella. The enterprise sees them cover local wedding and engagement parties, birthdays and graduation ceremonies, providing clients with professional video and photo footage.  They also have a section in their shop which is dedicated to stationery items.

As well as learning how to run a business and promote it on social media, they developed the skills needed to be more confident, solve problems and make key decisions, while they also received mental health support to ensure they can juggle their daily lives with the demands of work.

They can both now support their families financially, and as Zahra says: “It feels wonderful when we have money in our own pockets to spend as we want, and no longer have to ask for it from others.”

Shatha adds: “We are now more aware of our rights and responsibilities as females; we know what we need to present to our community.”

Although in the beginning they encountered some negative responses towards them as female business owners, community members have now fully accepted the idea, and many even prefer women to attend and cover their events as it was previously such a male-dominated industry.

In future, Zahra and Shatha also hope to bring other groups of women together, so they can share the knowledge and expertise they have both gained through the project.

As always, we just love seeing women thrive and grow through their own initiatives and ideas…

Sisters' Stories: How our power girls gym is helping Rosa recover from surgery

Rosa is one of the beneficiaries of our Power Girls Gym, our in-camp facility where women and girls can now exercise in a safe and welcoming environment.

Rosa is 22 and originally from Sinjar, but displacement during the ISIS conflict when she was just a young girl forced her and her family to flee to safety in the mountains. “We were without food, water or any supplies for eight days, and had only the clothes on our backs,” she recalls.

“During the day, we were exposed to the scorching sun, and at night, the weather was extremely cold. We were terrified that ISIS would find us, and lived in constant fear of being killed or harmed. It was a terrible time.”

Rosa and her family ended up living at Essyan camp - where life was far from easy. “It was incredibly challenging,” she adds. “It was the first time I had seen a refugee camp, and I would look at our nylon tent and wonder, ‘How will this protect us from the cold, the heat, or fire?’ But to this day, we continue to live inside it.”

As part of a large family, Rosa’s father could not earn enough to support them, so she had to find work, despite her young age. She began working as a potato farmer, but in 2021 suffered a life-changing injury. “On our way to the camp, our car was involved in an accident, and I broke my leg,” says Rosa. “I had to undergo surgery, and my doctor recommended that I engage in physical activity to regain proper movement in my leg. Unfortunately, there was no gym in the camp, so it was very hard to do this.” 

Earlier this year, thanks to kind support from Care Iraq, we opened our Power Girls Gym in the camp, and it has helped Rosa hugely. “I started going there every day to exercise, and now, I can move my leg again. I'm thankful to the Lotus Flower for providing this facility, which I so desperately needed.”

The gym is well equipped with a treadmill, exercise bike and elliptical trainer, plus weights, kettlebells, benches and mats, resistance bands and step platforms. There also lockers for participants to store their belongings safely.

Many other women and girls who use the gym have never had the opportunity to work out before due to strict patriarchal customs and traditions, but now they can meet friends and exercise together at their own pace. Not only is keeping fit vital for physical health, but also for mental wellbeing, and we’re so glad to be able to provide this essential service…

Our Comms Assistant wins award for short film about a young displaced woman

We always love sharing news of our staff’s personal achievements, and we’re so proud of our Comms Assistant Hidar, who recently won fourth place at the ‘Through Her Lens’ film festival in Erbil.

The festival was part of Cordaid’s Women Voices First initiative, in which a group of 15 comms experts, freelancers, directors and activists took part in a storytelling and visual communications training course in Lebanon.

As part of the programme, each participant was then required to make a short documentary, and Hidar decided to focus on a young displaced woman called Bushra – one of more than 60,000 people who have been supported by the Lotus Flower. Through one of our livelihoods projects, she was selected to receive a grant to start her own business, but in the end had to decline the opportunity so she could instead complete her academic studies. 

Hidar’s powerful film is called ‘Against All Odds,’ and tells the story of Bushra’s many challenges in life. Not only was she displaced during the ISIS attacks, but she also has dwarfism and has experienced severe bullying and ostracization in the community through the years.

Speaking about Bushra and what he learned while working alongside her, Hidar says: “She is unique, and was the first person in her village and school with dwarfism. Through my film, I wanted to highlight the story of an IDP with special needs, who has suffered from being ‘odd’ in her community.”

As you will see in the film below, Bushra speaks incredibly bravely about her past ordeals, and Hidar adds: “She once even heard people asking her mother to abandon her at Mount Sinjar when they were fleeing ISIS, because they thought she was too small to survive. Back then, she was 10 years-old and when she climbed the mountain, she was holding a bottle of water that was bigger than her.”

Hidar, right, receives his award

Reflecting on his own motivations that helped him shape the film, Hidar says: “I am personally inspired by the dedicated Lotus Flower team. Their support made all of this possible.”

Well done Hidar – and Bushra – for bringing such a beautiful piece of filmmaking to our screens…

You can watch it below…

Sisters' Stories: Meet our Earth Sister Vaman

Our Earth Sisters have been doing an incredible job in raising community awareness of climate change and implementing their own environmental initiatives recently, and here we’d like to share the story of one of the participants.

Vaman is 28 and lives in Duhok city with her parents. After growing up in Iran due to the unstable security situation in Kurdistan, she went on to graduate in Physics from the University of Duhok’s College of Science. She has also volunteered and worked in different humanitarian fields, and served as a teacher for six months too.

Before starting her working life, Vaman says she had little self-confidence. “I had a shy personality and never expressed my feelings clearly,” she says. “I also did not have confidence in my abilities. But after engaging in work life, I discovered my strengths and this was the beginning of my journey of self-development. I wanted to be an active member in society, to be engaged and improve my weaker points – especially in communication skills.”

Vaman was accordingly very keen to sign up for our Earth Sisters project earlier this year, which is supported by the German Consulate in Erbil. She adds: “I believe women and girls must have active roles and participate in this kind of training so they can become more educated and leave their fingerprints in changing the world for the better.”

During the course of the project, she found the leadership training especially helpful, as it taught her how to deliver messages more scientifically and logically. “The training was very beneficial for me both practically and psychologically,” she says. “I can now apply the methods in other areas of my life and share them. For instance, I have a six-year-old cousin and I am teaching him what I have learned, and how he can be a leader even at his young age.”

Vaman now plans to share her newfound skills with other young people who can help make a difference in society by holding conferences on leadership and producing a short film on her experiences of the programme.

As we reported in a recent blog, Vaman and her fellow Earth Sisters have been busy implementing their own climate-related initiatives in recent weeks, including a clean-up of blocked sewers and drains in Baroshke.

They also gave trees to new mothers for planting in their gardens to improve air quality, and helped install an irrigation system at Duhok University for watering newly-planted trees. Art projects were also unveiled in school and university settings to promote climate change action, and a ‘Safe Water’ initiative saw young children provided with environmentally friendly reusable water bottles.

We’re so proud of Vaman and all the Earth Sisters for their achievements so far…