Gardener stories: Meet Salih
Salih Yosuf, 45, is married with five children and lives in Domiz 2 camp. He shares what gardening means to him and has built an ingenious water feature in his home garden.
“I spend most of my time in my garden that I established two years ago. Roses are my favourite plant of all because each variety of rose has its own special properties, but all are beautiful.
“I hope that we can turn more of the camp into vegetable gardens. The coronavirus pandemic has not stopped us taking care of our gardens, but it has had a big impact on the refugees who work outside the camp, which they can’t do due to the curfew.”
Want to support gardeners like Salih?
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 gardener stories
- Watch our short films about why displaced people garden
- Meet Khanki camp resident Hajar
- Meet Domiz 2 camp resident Ahmed
Learn more about life in refugee camps
Yesterday, team members Hamid and Othman led a women’s workshop in Hêvî Community Garden, bringing together beneficiaries to learn, share and grow in community. The session began with an introduction to the work of the Lemon Tree Trust, our vision and our ongoing efforts across refugee and IDP (internally displaced people) camps. In places where … Continued
Noora, originally from Damascus, Syria, cooks meals that remind her family of home, using fresh herbs and seasonal produce from her small garden in Gawilan refugee camp, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. “My mother taught me to cook. Now my children help me. I never give up on the recipes that remind me of home,” she … Continued
As we reach the halfway point of 2025, we are delighted to share some of the impact your support has made possible across our projects. Thanks to your support, our projects are creating meaningful change for forcibly displaced communities, improving access to fresh food, mental wellbeing, and opportunities for connection and belonging through community gardening. … Continued