Meet Aveen, Operations Manager, Kurdistan Region of Iraq

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 camp for many years as a refugee from Syria, she brings deep compassion and care to her work, for both people and the natural world.

In this interview, Aveen reflects on family, gardening, cooking and the hopes that continue to guide her life and work.

1. What does your role involve on a day-to-day basis?

My role is to manage and oversee Azadî Community Garden in Domiz 1 camp across all its departments and staff. I supervise the Annual Garden Competitions and our Garden of the Month prize, as well as cooking events across the region, and I also support the coordinators working in the nine camps in which we have a presence. In general, I make sure everything runs smoothly and that we all work together to achieve success.

2. In which camp do you live and how long have you lived there?

I have lived in Domiz 1 camp for around 14 years as a refugee with my family.

3. What’s something small that brings you joy every day?

What makes me happiest is waking up and seeing my family around me.

I also find great joy in caring for animals. I help treat and support cats, dogs and other animals in need, through my own efforts and at my own expense. It can be costly, but I feel a deep responsibility towards them. So far, I have helped more than 700 cats and 30 dogs.

4. Can you tell us a bit about where you’re from and what brought you here?

I am originally from Damascus in Syria. We fled because of the war and the danger facing our family. We came to Iraq together as a family.

The journey here was incredibly difficult. It took us around eight hours on foot along rough and exhausting roads, while my children were still very young. At the time, one of my sons was only a year and a half old.

Even through the hardship, staying together as a family helped us continue.

5. Who did you move here with and how has your journey been as a family?

I came here with my husband, my two sons and my daughter, Sidra.

Sadly, my daughter passed away in Kurdistan at the age of 14 because of a heart condition. Nine years later, I gave birth to my youngest daughter, Rosemary. I felt she was a gift after all the difficult times we had endured.

Like many families displaced by war, our journey has carried both grief and unexpected moments of hope. Through everything, my family has remained my greatest source of strength.

6. What kind of work or creative activities were you involved in before moving here?

In Syria, I worked with handicrafts like bamboo at home. I still love handicrafts today and I also enjoy resin art.

7. What do you miss most about your homeland?

I miss the air of my homeland and the strong scent of jasmine. I miss our weekly family gatherings, the simple food we shared and the feeling of safety and peace we once had.

I also miss the security I felt before the war. I miss the taste of the simple food we ate, even though our circumstances were poor there. I remember the balsam plant I used to care for and even a little tortoise we kept. I miss the inner peace I had.

These memories stay with me wherever I go.

8. What has helped you feel a sense of comfort and belonging since moving here?

After my husband and children, the person I am most grateful to is Stephanie (Lemon Tree Trust Founder and CEO). She believed in me and saw a strength in me that I did not know I possessed. She encouraged me constantly and supported me in finding my place among gardens and plants. Something my soul longed for long before my body arrived there.

Gardening has helped me heal, find purpose and feel connected again.

9. What’s your favourite plant or flower and what makes it special to you?

Jasmine is my favourite flower because it reminds me of Damascus. Its streets, its memories and its spirit.

I also love roses and caring for plants in general. If a plant becomes sick, I feel deeply upset, as though the world has stopped for a moment. I love following every stage of growth and seeing the results of patience and care.

I especially enjoy growing coriander because its aroma is so strong and beautiful, and it is not commonly grown here because not many people like it.

10. What do you most enjoy about gardening?

I love the soil and working with it because, in my opinion, it creates so much life for us.

One of the best things about gardening is learning how to use natural plant-based treatments instead of chemicals. It gives me peace of mind knowing the food we grow is healthy and safe.

Gardening teaches patience, perseverance and hope. Even when it takes all my time, I still love every part of it.

11. What’s your favourite season and what do you love most about it?

I adore winter. I love the rain when it washes the leaves and plants clean. I love its calmness and the peaceful evenings spent sitting with my family while watching the rain cleanse the earth.

12. If you could visit any garden in the world, where would you go and why?

I would love to visit the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in Richmond, UK, because of its beauty, history and heritage.

I would also love to visit the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London some day because of the creativity and inspiration I have seen there. Lemon Tree Trust had a show garden there in 2018, designed by Tom Massey, who was inspired by the resilience, determination and creativity of gardeners in Domiz 1 camp following his visit to us.

13. Do you enjoy cooking with what you grow?

Yes, very much. I love cooking with what we grow because I see the whole journey, from seed to harvest. I know the water is clean, the soil is fertile and the food is healthy for my family.

14. What’s your family’s favourite meal together?

We love molokhia, a dish that is very well known in Syria. It is especially delicious with lemon.

There is also a Damascene dish called Hira’a bi Asba’o (a lentil and pasta stew) that immediately takes me back to Syria whenever I hear its name.

If I could cook for someone from the past, I would cook my daughter’s favourite meal, Yabra (stuffed grape leaves).

15. How has your background influenced the way you cook?

When you live among different communities, you learn from many cultures. Every culture has its own dishes, spices and cooking traditions.

Through our Annual Cooking Competitions, we see beautiful differences between Syrian, Iraqi, Arab, Kurdish and Yazidi cooking. Not only in flavour but also in preparation, presentation and even the names of dishes. I find that diversity very meaningful.

16. What’s a skill you’ve always wanted to learn?

I always wanted to learn music, but life’s pressures and difficulties made me put many dreams aside.

17. If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?

I would tell my younger self that the world can be harsh and that strength and decisiveness are important. I would tell her not to let fear or failure take control and never to lose herself through difficult experiences.

I would also remind her to trust her own feelings. The heart can sense what is right and what is not, and not to ignore those inner signals.

There will be tough lessons in life, but these experiences are what help reveal and build inner strength.

Above all, I would tell her to stay true to herself and hold on to who she really is.

18. What’s one thing you’re looking forward to in the future?

I hope my family will always be healthy and safe, and that I can continue to support them and provide them with a better life.

I also dream of creating a large sanctuary for stray animals one day.

In my work at Lemon Tree Trust, I hope we can continue growing and helping more families, because gardening brings comfort, dignity and life in ways that only those who experience it can truly understand.

I hope our work continues to expand across the whole region, bringing many more gardens, more opportunities and more hope to displaced communities.

Meet more members of our team

Our work in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq is made possible by a dedicated team. You might also like to read the following interviews with some of our team members:

• Meet Rûken, Garden Facilitator, Hêvî Community Garden
• Meet Browen, volunteer at the Hêvî Community Garden
• Meet Othman Qewas, Hêvî Community Garden Manager