Refugee gardener harvests small profit to grow plant business in Iraq

In the heart of Zakho, a small town within the mountains of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Silva’s garden bursts with life—vibrant greens and flowers, delicate herbs, and even exotic plants like Japanese oranges. To a passerby, it might be just an ordinary garden, but to Silva, it’s more than that; it’s a lifeline that supports her and her family.

As a Syrian refugee, Silva fled escalating conflict in her hometown Hasakeh in North East Syria in 2013. At the time, she was a student with only six credits away from earning her degree in Agricultural Engineering. Forced to flee, Silva carried her dream of graduating and working in agricultural engineering with her to Iraq.

When she first arrived in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Silva lived in Kawergosk refugee camp, located almost 30 km away from the city of Erbil. At that time, uncertainty defined her life, but she refused to let circumstances dictate her future. Determined to complete her education, she tirelessly petitioned local government offices and universities to allow her to resume her studies and finally suceeded. After years of perseverance, she earned her degree in Agricultural Engineering from Salah Al-Din University in Erbil.

"I learned so much from my university," Silva reflects.

"It deepened my love for agriculture and opened my eyes to the potential of growing plants. Now, I want to explore herbal medicine and understand how plants can cure illnesses."

After marrying in 2022, Silva moved to Zakho with her husband. The two shared a passion for gardening and decided to start small initiative in their home garden. With limited resources, they purchased a single plant and nurtured it until they had multiplied it into 18 plants. This small success became the seed of their business.

"We started with nothing" Silva recalls. "My husband bought the soil, and I planted that very first plant. Slowly, we grew from there. I began selling to neighbours and family, and soon, people started coming to our house to see what plants we had to sell."

With support through UNHCR’s cash assistance programme, Silva was able to take her business to the next level. She named the business Gardenia House, a tribute to the sanctuary she and her husband had created.

Silva is one of 56,000 refugees and asylum-seekers who received cash assistance from UNHCR in 2024. The cash assistance programme supports some of the most vulnerable refugees in Iraq, to help them cover essential needs like rent and food. Some refugees like Silva also manage to save a portion of the cash assistance after covering their basic expenses, allowing them to invest in small business ventures. An unintended, yet positive impact of UNHCR’s cash assistance programme.

For Silva, setting up Gardenia House is just the start, as she is aware that there are still challenges ahead. Transportation, she explains, is a constant hurdle. Without a vehicle, Silva is limited in the number of plants she can transport which limits her ability to deliver orders to her customers. Without a greenhouse, protecting her plants during the harsh winter months is also a struggle.

But Silva remains undeterred. "I aspire to expand and become more self-reliant. I want to open a plantation and create a space where I can grow a wider variety of plants, even more exotic ones. My dream is to have delivery services so I can reach more people across the Kurdistan Region of Iraq."

Silva has already begun experimenting with bringing unique plants to Zakho, such as Japanese oranges, which have attracted attention and admiration from her community. Her approach to gardening has turned her home into both a business and a source of inspiration.