Gawilan Community Garden Appeal Launched
We are thrilled to announce the launch of our Gawilan Community Garden Appeal!
Building on the success of our flagship Azadi community garden in Domiz 1 camp, we are now bringing the joy and benefits of community gardening to Gawilan camp in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Gawilan camp is home to over 10,000 people and 2,400 families, primarily Kurdish individuals from the Syrian cities of Al Hasakah and Aleppo. Since 2017, we have been fostering a sense of community in Gawilan through annual garden competitions and monthly garden awards. In 2022, we expanded our initiatives to include annual cooking competitions and school gardening activities.
We are excited to now be extending our gardening activities in Gawilan, where we are aiming to create a vibrant oasis where families can find solace, growth, and a stronger sense of community.
Learn more about our Gawilan Community Garden Appeal and how you can make a difference.
Aveen Ibrahem is Operations Manager at Lemon Tree Trust, overseeing our community gardening and cooking programmes across the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Her work supports activities in Azadî Community Garden in Domiz 1 camp, as well as outreach and coordination across the nine camps where Lemon Tree Trust currently operates. Having lived in Domiz 1 … Continued
Inside the polytunnels at the Hêvî Community Garden in Gawilan refugee camp, Garden Manager Othman Qewas carefully selects fruit trees and flowering plants grown from seed. Joined by Hamid Abdullah, Lemon Tree Trust’s Horticulture and Landscape Consultant, the plants are loaded into the car before setting off to visit families across the camp. As part of our ongoing children’s outreach programme in Gawilan camp, … Continued
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