Meet Rûken, LTT Garden Facilitator in Gawilan camp

Rûken is one of our dedicated Garden Facilitators at Lemon Tree Trust. She helps distribute seeds, plants and trees to residents across Gawilan camp and supports our Garden of the Month award, helping people to grow home gardens and ‘green’ their neighbourhood. Since 2024, she has also been active in the new Hêvî Community Garden, where she helps gardeners and tends to maintenance tasks in the community space. Originally from Syria, Rûken now lives in Gawilan camp with her family.

Here’s more from Rûken in her own words:

1. Where do you live and how long have you been there?
I have lived in Gawilan camp for five years. The camp was established in 2013 and is home to many Syrian families who came here seeking safety.

2. Can you tell us a little about your homeland and what you miss most?
My homeland, Syria, was the most beautiful place, but there was no longer safety or stability because of the war. I came here with my mother and sisters after a very difficult journey. What I miss most are family gatherings and the friends I grew up with. I also keep a special memory of the flowers I planted and cared for in my home garden.

3. What did you do before coming here?
I used to work in a clothing shop as an accountant.

4. What makes you feel at home in the camp, and what brings you daily joy?
Safety has given me a sense of belonging. In the small, everyday things, I find happiness, like drinking my morning coffee in the fresh air.

5. What do you enjoy most about gardening, and what crops do you grow with your family?
I love planting and watering the crops, and one of my best memories is harvesting vegetables that I planted with my own hands. With my family, we grow parsley, rocket, mint, cress, onions and more.

6. Do you enjoy cooking with what you grow, and what are your family’s favourite meals?
Yes. My family’s favourite meals are dolma (stuffed vine leaves) and tabbouleh. Cooking with the vegetables we grow helps me feel connected to my culture, and when my family enjoys what I prepare, I feel happy.

7. Is there a dish or ingredient that connects you most to your homeland?
Yes, tabbouleh and courgette with yoghurt. If I could cook for one person, it would be my father, may he rest in peace – I would make grilled kibbeh.

8. Do you have a favourite plant, flower or season?
Yes, tulips and daffodils are my favourite flowers. My favourite season is spring, because nature is beautiful and the air is fresh. (Daffodils, called ‘Nergiz’ in Kurdish, are a symbol of Newroz, the Kurdish New Year. They mark the start of spring and represent new beginnings and hope.)

9. What advice would you share with other gardeners?
Take care of the water, because it is the basis of agriculture.

10. If you could visit any garden in the world, where would it be?
Keukenhof Garden in the Netherlands.

Life in Gawilan camp

Gawilan refugee camp is home to more than10,000 people and 2,400 families who are primarily Kurdish and 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. And in 2024, we opened a new community garden, Hêvî (which means ‘hope’ in Kurdish), to help families grow nutritious food and learn new skills in community.

Help gardens and communities to grow

Your support helps us employ more forcibly displaced people like Rûken, and provide seeds, plants and trees so families in Gawilan camp can grow food, come together in community gardens and ‘green’ their neighbourhoods. Donate today to make this possible.

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