Gardening has the power to positively address issues of isolation and mental health. For people who have been forcibly displaced from their homes, the simple act of gardening produces beauty, restores dignity, creates community, and offers opportunity.
Since 2015, Lemon Tree Trust has supported survivors of war and communities of forcibly displaced people to create home and community gardens, garden competitions, and education projects. Working with like-minded organisations and partners, we empower people from the ground up to improve their well-being and their environment, with a particular focus on women coming together as a community to affect change.
"Gardening has given us a voice and a means to share our stories." - Aveen Ibrahem, Lemon Tree Trust Operations Manager and Domiz 1 camp resident, KRI.
Your donations help to keep our Azadi Communit Garden in Domiz 1 camp running, they provide thousands of seed, plants and trees to displaced people in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), and mean we can run our various competitions and awards.
With your help in 2022, we were also to build a new community garden in Bardarash camp, we carried out gardening outreach activities at several local schools and we relaunched our popular cooking competitions.
Looking ahead, we want to continue to support residents of camps across the KRI to create home and community gardens, inspiring other displaced people across the world to grow food and flowers as a way to improve mental and physical health. We want to expand our offering in Domiz 1 camp with a marketplace within our Azadi Community Garden and build a new community garden space near the camp entrance. Furthermore, we plan to create a new community garden in Gawillan camp, reusing elements of our Bardarash garden, which we need to move as the camp is closing.
With your support, we can bring gardens and gardening to every refugee community in the world. Every cake sale, community fundraiser, allotment collection, and school fair donation helps us to buy more seeds, plants, and tools. You can choose to raise funds for us in any way you like and we can provide leaflets and information to help your fundraising efforts.
"I couldn't believe my ears when I heard I could have a garden here. We've all been displaced and are suddenly living in a desert without trees. I see life in this garden. It cleans the air and gives people hope." - Ahmed Tamo, aged 60, Domiz 1 camp, Kurdistan Region of Iraq
Seeds are easy to source and cost very little to provide and because Lemon Tree Trust's core running costs are fully funded, 100% of your donation will be spent in refugee communities making a real and lasting difference in people's lives.
£10 could provide refreshments at a community garden helping people socialise and spend time gardening
£30 could help provide prizes for refugees and internally displaced people taking part in our garden and cooking competitions
£50 could help provide topsoil and compost in our community gardens enabling people to grow what they need
£100 could help provide an LTT Camp Co-ordinator to help with distributing seeds, plants, and trees to displaced people
£1,000 could help create a new garden providing an area of green space where community members recovering from trauma can spend time tending a garden, planting seeds, and reconnecting with nature.
Together we are creating a global community of gardeners and changing the conversation around forced migration. Find out more and stay in touch with our work via our website or on social media: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter
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Lemon Tree Trust is a restricted fund operating under the auspices of Prism the Gift Fund, Registered Charity Number: 1099682
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