Lemon Tree Trust launches Spring Tree & Plant Appeal with matched funding
We have launched our Spring 2026: Tree & Plant Appeal, inviting supporters to help families displaced by war grow gardens that bring food, shade, sanctuary and beauty to the places they now call home.
There are over 1.34 million displaced people living in Iraq, more than 300,000 of them Syrian refugees. Many live in camps that have grown into dense, city-like settlements where green space is scarce. Trees and plants cool the air, reduce pollution and soften harsh edges, while home gardens give families dignity, agency and a reminder of life before displacement. When neighbours swap cuttings and share seedlings, gardens become places where community begins to rebuild too.
As the appeal launches, our teams are already working across nine camps, nurturing thousands of plants and trees in our Hêvî and Azadî community garden polytunnels, ready to be distributed to families.
Our fundraising target for the appeal is £30,000 GBP / $39,500 USD. All donations will be matched by a generous supporter, meaning every gift goes twice as far.
Donate today and your gift will go twice as far →
Funds raised will help us grow and distribute thousands more trees, shrubs and plants, supporting home gardens and greening the neighbourhoods around them. Since 2016, we have planted or distributed over 300,000 trees and plants across refugee and IDP camps in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Demand continues to grow.
“I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard I could have a garden here… I see life in this garden. It cleans the air and gives people hope.”
– Ahmed Tamo, Domiz 1 camp, Kurdistan Region of Iraq
Find out more and donate at our Spring Tree & Plant Appeal page →
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