Gardener stories: Meet Ahmed
Ahmed Ibrahim Ismail lives in the Azar neighbourhood of Domiz 2 camp.
“I have a humble garden in my house, and I started working on it with my children two years ago. We have spent many good times in it, especially during the curfew for the coronavirus.
“My garden contains 20 different types of roses and trees. Each rose is a different colour from the others, and I have grapes, figs, cypress and pine.
“In 2019 I participated in the Lemon Tree Trust garden competitions. Thanks to the encouragement of our coordinators in the camp, I won second place in Domiz 2 camp.
“My family have benefitted a lot from my garden because we enjoy spending time in it, especially during the quarantine period.”
Want to support refugee gardeners like Ahmed?
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 refugee gardener stories
- Watch our short films about why displaced people garden
- Meet Khanki camp resident Hajar
- Meet Domiz 2 camp resident Salih
Learn more about life in refugee camps
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