'An Evening with the Lotus Flower' takes place in London

We were so pleased to welcome a wonderful group of supporters, friends and donors to a special fundraising event in London this week.  

‘An Evening with the Lotus Flower’ saw us join together for an intimate evening of inspiring talk and conversation, and to raise much-needed funds for our women’s centres and projects. The night was hosted by Clarksons, whose fantastic team kindly gave us access to their stunning event space, as well as supporting us on the night and treating us all to delicious food and drink.

During the evening, our founder Taban told her emotional story of surviving genocide as a child, and why witnessing the ISIS atrocities in 2014 prompted her to give up her career and start the Lotus Flower. “There was no way I could go back to a 9-5 job,” she said. Explaining the ethos behind the organisation, Taban continued: “The whole premise in our centres is that we help women and girls heal, learn and grow. That’s the main focus, and since 2016 we’ve managed to help 44,000 women and girls – half of those directly.” She also spoke of what makes the Lotus Flower’s approach different, adding: “We have one golden rule – we only hire local people; that’s what makes us very unique.”

We also heard from, Sophie Pelka, Co-Founder of the Give It Forward Trust (GIFT), one of our most recent donors. Explaining why the Trust felt compelled to support the Lotus Flower, she said that strong leadership is key. “Taban is an incredible leader, especially in serving vulnerable women and girls. And as a child genocide survivor herself she knows about the trauma and knows how to help these women heal and grow.”

Sophie also spoke about the importance of mission alignment as a donor, adding: “GIFT and the Lotus Flower are the perfect match.” And pinpointing our impact-driven approach, she said: “Every programme implemented by the Lotus Flower is designed to meet the beneficiaries’ specific needs. They are at the centre of the organisation and their feedback is constantly monitored, which ensures impact.”

Sophie also said she recognised “the magic” in the Lotus Flower, saying: “Many of the women and girls helped by the Lotus Flower become programme leaders themselves, creating this virtuous circle that we aim to find.  I see many organisations in my work but few are as efficient and impactful as the Lotus Flower. We are privileged to be involved with such an amazing organisation.”

Another supporter who spoke on the night was Atalanti Moquette, Founder of Giving Women, a philanthropic network which has provided invaluable support to the Lotus Flower through mentorship, professional knowledge and expertise. Atalanti said: “When I met Taban, I saw she was listening to the needs of the people, and recognising the importance of mental health. Surprisingly, very few people talk about this, but the trauma many of these women have been through is horrendous.

“The Lotus Flower went into the community and asked, ‘what is it that you need? How can we support your healing?’ The people working in the camps are from the local community, they speak the language and understand the cultural sensitivities. For us, the Lotus Flower ticked all the boxes and we felt it could go beyond the camps in northern Iraq.”

Our final speaker on the night was Simon Butler from Migrate Art, a long-standing supporter and friend. Having visited our projects in Kurdistan in 2019, Simon said: “What the Lotus Flower does is incredible, and going out to see it was one of the most profound experiences of my life. My view of that region of the world changed completely.”

A huge thank you to everyone who came along on the night to support us – we just couldn’t do what we do without you!