Building Peace from the Ground Up: A Conversation with Vian Ahmed, Regional Director of The Lotus Flower
In our Autumn newsletter, we put a spotlight on the opening of The Lotus Flower’s new Women, Peace and Security Centre in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Read on to hear our Regional Director, Vian Ahmed, share her powerful journey - from building The Lotus Flower in a burnt cabin, to leading a movement for women’s leadership and peace. Discover how her own experience of conflict and community rebuilding continues to shape her leadership - and what peace truly means to her.
Leadership and the journey of women at The Lotus Flower
Q: How do you support and develop the leadership of women within The Lotus Flower and in the communities you work with?
Vian: From the very beginning, a core purpose of The Lotus Flower has been to bring women and girls into leadership. That is the meaning behind our name — we are a flower that grows in muddy water, blossoming into something beautiful. This reflects the journey of women who rise from vulnerability into strength and leadership.
We intentionally engage women from the most vulnerable communities in our projects, and I have had the privilege of witnessing their transformation firsthand. In 2024 alone, we supported over 14,100 community members in the KRI, bringing our total reach since 2016 to more than 99,000 individuals. Our programmes create clear pathways to leadership - from our General Protection services, which reached 11,806 people, to livelihoods training and business grants empowering women to achieve financial independence. Our Coding Sisters initiative trained 45 women, with 10% already launching their own tech businesses. Even within our Climate Resilience projects, 75% of participants gained greater financial independence through cash-for-work opportunities.
Leadership is a central value for us - both within the community and inside our organisation. I firmly believe that women can lead perfectly. That’s why 80% of our leadership positions are held by women. Whether a woman is pregnant, raising children, or balancing other responsibilities, she can still lead with excellence. Women and girls understand the needs of their peers - they’re not just employees; they’re role models for our beneficiaries, proving that leadership is always possible.
Lived experience and peacebuilding
Q: How has your experience as a Kurdish woman living through conflict shaped the way you approach leadership and peacebuilding?
Vian: I believe that the people best equipped to build peace are those who have experienced conflict themselves. As Kurds in the Middle East, we have lived through decades of instability — and we’ve seen that women and children are always the most vulnerable.
This experience has taught me something vital: the vulnerability of women and girls does not change until they are the ones leading the peacebuilding process and making the decisions. We understand what peace truly requires because we have lived through its absence. My approach to leadership is about empowering those who were once victims to become the architects of recovery.
When I joined Taban in founding The Lotus Flower, I left a secure job to build something from the ground up — something that truly belonged to our community. Starting from a burnt cabin with volunteers was not easy, but I had faith. This was more than a career move; it was a calling. My source of endurance has always been my love for what I do, and the belief that our work could transform lives.
The birth of the Women, Peace and Security Centre
Q: What motivated the creation of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Centre, and what needs does it aim to address?
Vian: The vision for the WPS Centre originated with our Founder and CEO, Taban. It was her dream from the very beginning. I still remember during our first Peace Sisters and Brothers project, she told me, “Vian, we need to build a centre to be a headquarters for them.” That idea has stayed with us since 2019.
The WPS Centre was born out of The Lotus Flower’s peacebuilding pledge at the Global Refugee Forum, under the Gender Equality and Protection from Gender-Based Violence multi-stakeholder commitment. It’s supported through BMZ and GIZ under the SPACE programme, in close collaboration with the Kurdistan Regional Government’s High Council of Women’s Affairs.
This centre — the first of its kind in the KRI and Iraq — addresses the urgent need for stronger implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 agenda. While Iraq has signed the resolution, its application has been weak due to limited financial and institutional backing. In a region deeply affected by conflict, this centre fills that gap by promoting women’s participation, leadership, and dialogue in peace and security processes.
Forced displacement is a long-term crisis often treated as a short-term issue. The WPS Centre seeks to bridge that divide — ensuring that responses are gender-sensitive, evidence-based, and aligned with the KRG’s National Action Plan for 1325. Through research, advocacy, and partnership, the centre will help transform women’s participation from policy to practice.
The Lotus Flower’s WPS Centre opening ceremony
Understanding peace and leadership
Q: What do people often misunderstand about women’s leadership in conflict-affected regions?
Vian: The misunderstanding often comes from the early days of the feminist movement in our region. When it began, it was radical and unprofessional at times — it fought for women’s rights but often did so by attacking men. That created a perception that women’s leadership was a threat, rather than an opportunity for partnership.
Even today, we still feel the effects of that misunderstanding. It’s not that people are against women leading — it’s that the communication wasn’t always handled in a way that encouraged cooperation. I believe professional, inclusive dialogue is key to changing those perceptions. True equality doesn’t exclude anyone; it brings everyone to the table.
Defining peace
Q: How do you define peace, and how does that understanding guide your work?
Vian: For me, peace begins with acceptance - accepting each other’s differences, whether in gender, ethnicity, or belief. It’s about recognising that our differences don’t make one person right and the other wrong; they simply make us human.
We carry this philosophy into all our projects. Whether we’re addressing gender-based violence, supporting livelihoods, or offering protection services, our goal is always to build peaceful, cohesive communities. We bring men and women together in discussions about gender and equality, because peace can only grow where understanding exists.
From day one, peace has been at the heart of The Lotus Flower’s mission. Every project, no matter its focus, ultimately contributes to that larger goal.
Advice for young changemakers
Q: What advice would you give to young women starting their journey as changemakers?
Vian: Believe deeply in your vision, even when you’re starting from nothing. Many young women see what The Lotus Flower has become and assume there must have been strong support from the start, but that’s not true. We began from a burnt cabin, with no resources or connections, just belief and determination.
When I joined Taban, I left a well-paid, stable job to start from scratch - cleaning out a burnt cabin, and searching for volunteers. But I had faith in the future of The Lotus Flower; I could already see the vision of what we have today.
My message to young changemakers is simple: have faith in your future. That belief — that unshakable confidence in your vision — is your most powerful tool. It will sustain you when nothing else does.
The Lotus Flower’s WPS Centre project is supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and support from SPACE Project - GIZ.
