Aveen arrived in Domiz in 2011 after fleeing her home in Damascus, Syria with her family. She says: “They had assembled all the men in front of the mosque and began to shoot at them at close range. There were so many of them they had to be buried in a mass grave. I’ll never forget that scene. Two of the young men were my nephews. My entire family fled the next day.” 

When they arrived in Domiz camp, Aveen remembers it looked like a prison and she never could have imagined she would call this place home. She says: “It wasn’t our country and there were tents everywhere. Syria is so green, but this was a desert.”  

Aveen started planting flowers and food to improve her immediate environment, but it also reminded her of her father growing plants at her childhood home in Syria. These positive memories of her homeland have helped her build a life in the KRI.  She says: “In this camp, being so far away, you try to remember something from your life in Syria. You try to find the same seeds of plants and flowers, the same pets, so you feel at home and comfortable for a while.” 

Domiz is no longer a temporary settlement. It is a large, thriving community that is likely to become a permanent neighbourhood of the nearby city of Duhok. Aveen is now settled here and has successfully designed and built her own home on the plot of land she was assigned when she arrived in the KRI. She had a fourth child in late 2024 and while she regularly returns to see her parents and extended family in Syria, she has made a home for her family in the KRI. 

Othman is originally from Kobani, Syria. He fled the war in 2015 and has since made a home in Gawilan camp with his wife, two daughters and son. Growing up in a farming family, he developed a love for gardening early. In his own words: “When I plant, cultivate and work the soil, and see the results of my efforts in the form of a healthy plant, I feel happy.”

His favourite flower is the Damascus rose, valued for its colour and scent. At home he and his family cultivate parsley, radishes, cress, onions, garlic, tomatoes, cucumber, aubergine, carrots, lettuce, rocket and peppers. Their favourite meal is Kibbeh Nayeh, a traditional dish from Kobani.

Othman joined Lemon Tree Trust after volunteering for the annual garden competitions in Gawilan camp. He was drawn to the opportunity to support local families through gardening. He enjoys advising fellow residents and seeing their quick successes in the garden, describing it as “rewarding to witness the engagement and results of our activities”.

Stephanie’s path to founding Lemon Tree Trust began during her time as a voluntary adviser to the UNHCR. Visiting refugee camps in Jordan set up in the wake of the Syrian war, she was struck by the fact that people were gardening despite everything, bringing seeds and cuttings from home. It reminded her of the community gardens of London and convinced her that this was something she and her husband could meaningfully support. She returned home and established community garden sites in Dallas for resettled refugee communities and founded Lemon Tree Trust shortly afterwards to extend that work to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Stephanie brings a rare combination of entrepreneurial drive and humanitarian experience to her work. Alongside Lemon Tree Trust, she co-created the Humanitarian Innovation Project (HIP) at the University of Oxford (now known as Refugee Economies), which works to bring innovation, technology and private sector thinking to support refugee self-reliance. With her husband, she also co-founded the Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity within SMU’s Lyle School of Engineering in Dallas. She has held board positions with The Dallas Foundation, UNHCR’s Innovation Advisory Council, bcWORKSHOP and the American Film Institute’s National Council.