May 11th, 2019: On May 6th Mrs. Anne Twist, mom of Harry Styles, posted on Instagram a love letter to herself as part of the campaign launched by the Lotus Flower called #LoveWhoYouAre.
The Lotus Flower was founded in 2014 in response to the humanitarian crises that took place in Kurdistan, northern Iraq. It is a non-profit organization that supports women and girls impacted by conflict and displacement, giving them tools to support themselves and to rise from darkness and economic hardship.
The Lotus Flower creates and operates community centers where women and girls have access to education and other resources that help them become independent and forces for economic and social growth within their communities. The approach of the Lotus Flower is to provide resources around six pillars: education, livelihood, well-being, mental health, human rights, and peacebuilding. Indeed, displaced women and girls often suffer from depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder, they have often seen their human rights violated, they lack basic education and skills to gain economic independence, and they sometimes are in conflict with their families and communities. At the Lotus Flower community centers, women and girls have access to resources to attend to all these issues so they can reach their full potential.
“Resilient and strong, the lotus flower grows in muddy water, only to blossom into something incredibly beautiful”
At the Lotus Community centers, many of the tools to independence and well being of women and girls are taught by their own peers, women that have been there and that truly understand the needs of displaced women.
The #LoveWhoYouAre campaign, that Mrs. Anne Twist has shown support to, was launched by the Lotus Flower in April of this year. The campaign aims at reminding women and girls that have lived or live in hardship to love who they are, recognize their strengths and build from them to rebuild a future for themselves. The campaign has created a t-shirt with the logo “Love who you are” that can be worn by women in solidarity with other women with the strong message of loving themselves. The proceeds from the sale of the t-shirt will go to help support the community centers of the Lotus Flower. To order a “Love who you are” t-shirt head over to this link.
The campaign has spread online and has taken the form of love letters of women to themselves, which is how Mrs. Anne Twist has shown support to the campaign on her Instagram account. These love letters remind us that women and girls are not reminded often enough of their strengths, abilities, and potentials to be essential elements in their communities, including taking on leadership roles.
The Lotus Flower is supported in its work by philanthropist, corporations, and individual donors. The organization also encourages all women and men that feel passionate about the type of work they do, to inquire about donating their time and skills for their community centers. To learn more about how you can help, visit their “Support us” page.
Mrs. Anne Twist’s picture is credited to her Twitter account.
A Charitable Direction 