Gardener stories: Meet Ahmed
Ahmed Ibrahim Ismail lives in the Azar neighbourhood of Domiz 2 camp.
“I have a humble garden in my house, and I started working on it with my children two years ago. We have spent many good times in it, especially during the curfew for the coronavirus.
“My garden contains 20 different types of roses and trees. Each rose is a different colour from the others, and I have grapes, figs, cypress and pine.
“In 2019 I participated in the Lemon Tree Trust garden competitions. Thanks to the encouragement of our coordinators in the camp, I won second place in Domiz 2 camp.
“My family have benefitted a lot from my garden because we enjoy spending time in it, especially during the quarantine period.”





Want to support refugee gardeners like Ahmed?
The Lemon Tree Trust welcomes one-off and regular donations.
To make a donation, please go to: lemontreetrust.org/donate.
Our core infrastructure costs are fully funded so 100% of your donation directly supports gardening projects and initiatives in refugee communities.
- $1 / £1 can give a family a packet of vegetable seeds
- $5 / £5 can provide a family a basket of nutritious produce
- $25 / £25 can fund a Home Garden Starter Kit for a new family arriving in the camp, containing a Home Garden Manual, seeds, tools, a grow-bag and a children’s gardening activity
More refugee gardener stories
- Watch our short films about why displaced people garden
- Meet Khanki camp resident Hajar
- Meet Domiz 2 camp resident Salih
Learn more about life in refugee camps
Bringing together residents to celebrate the home gardens they have grown, tended and transformed over the past year, Lemon Tree Trust’s 2026 Annual Garden Competitions have taken place across nine refugee and IDP (internally displaced people) camps in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. This year’s competitions introduced a greater emphasis on welcoming new participants alongside … Continued
Girls and boys living in Gawilan refugee camp have come together for child-focused environmental workshops at the Hêvî Community Garden, brought to life by Lemon Tree Trust and the General Directorate of Social Care in Duhok (DoLSA). The workshops form part of the Child Protection and Climate Change Campaign, through which UNICEF supports DoLSA in … Continued
Many thanks to Megan Davis at Perennial Gatherings for her generous donation this May, the latest in a series of kind contributions to Lemon Tree Trust over the years. Perennial Gatherings is a Vancouver-based floral studio and social enterprise, specialising in thoughtfully curated arrangements made with locally grown, seasonal blooms. Profits from floral sales are … Continued