It's TED Talks Daily. I'm Elise Hugh. We often hear about how children are the future, right? And wide bodies of research show the importance of children having strong foundations for their lives. But what happens when parents are separated from their children by conflict, natural disaster, or any number of

uncontrollable factors. In her talk from TED at UNICEF in 2021, Elizabeth Zion shares her

powerful personal story and presses for reunification of separated families.

Dear Witch, Bowenie, my name is Elizabeth.

I'm 18 years old and I am a second year university student in Dublin and I would like to share

a glimpse into my beginnings.

Prior to my birth, my mother, who was born in a Muslim family, converted to Christianity,

and she faced persecution from her family who were all Muslims at the time,

and fled Nigeria to escape religious persecution, and to fight for a better life,

for my four siblings and I of which I am the youngest.

She tried to get asylum in a number of countries and eventually got a letter of acceptance

from a relatively small country known as Ireland.

Ireland accepted her application.

And while her case was pending, we were giving housing in a small town in the west of Ireland called Clifton,

in one of the country's direct revision centers.

And so began the wait for my arrival.

My due date was July 13th, which was also the day that my father was born.

But I refused and decided that I preferred to be

born on the 16th. And so, I was born in my mother's room, with the umbilical cord wrapped around

my neck. I was actually believed to be the first child to be born in Clifton, as opposed to in the hospital in 15 years.

I even read the local news. I guess persistence and stubbornness pays off. And my mom still has a

newspaper that detailed my rival story till this day.

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