Taban Shoresh survived genocide as a child in Kurdistan under Saddam Hussein. She experienced imprisonment at the age of four, and narrowly escaped being buried alive with her family. In 2014, Taban returned to Kurdistan for 15 months to help during the humanitarian crises caused by the Isis regime. Shaped by her experiences, in 2016 Shoresh founded The Lotus Flower, an organisation dedicated to supporting survivors of conflict and displacement, with a particular focus on helping women and girls rebuild their lives.