Meet Rody Sher, our new Country Director – Iraq

We’re thrilled to welcome Rody Sher to the Lemon Tree Trust as Country Director, Iraq. Based in Erbil, Rody will work closely with both the Domiz camp gardening and operations team headed up by Aveen Ibrahem, and colleagues further afield in the USA and UK. We asked him a few questions to get to know him better:

Q: What is your favourite plant / flower?
A: It’s difficult to choose between gardenia and rose.

Q: Do you like to cook? And if so, what’s your ultimate ‘comfort’ meal?
A: Yes, I barbecue a lot and eat a lot of grilled fish, so these are my ‘comfort’ foods.

Q: Do you have a hobby outside of work?
A: Yes, I like swimming and travelling.

Q: If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
A: I would like to visit China and Japan one day.

Fun fact! Rody can be seen presenting Shoof Magazine on Babylon TV every Sunday.

Meet some of our other team members

 

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