Build Rooftop Gardens for Palestinian Families

Anera's rooftop gardens in Lebanon, Palestine, and Jordan are providing food and hope to Palestinians.  Throughout the region, Anera has helped install hundreds of rooftop gardens and help train on how to efficiently grow produce on their rooftops. Families grow cucumbers, green onions, parsley, tomatoes, and more to feed their communities, and they gain income from the extra produce that they sell. 

These gardens are providing more than food for the community, Jocelyne’s rooftop garden in Rashidiya Camp, Lebanon, she uses the additional income to buy medicine. After planting vegetables in February, by the middle of Ramadan she was already able to harvest them. After Ramadan, she made pickles with the cucumbers and shared them with her neighbors. She expressed how much she enjoys tending to the garden, and how it makes her feel better during these difficult times.

As our team in Gaza has been displaced, they do not know the status of the rooftop gardens there. During these times of destruction, seeing our gardens prosper in Lebanon, Jordan, and the West Bank is a reminder of resilience and growth. When the conflict ends, rehabilitating the gardens is one of Anera’s priorities to rebuild life in Gaza. The spring time has brought plenitude to many of our gardens, and they remind us that one day Gaza will flourish as well.

In the summer of 2023, Anera began working on rooftop gardens in Gaza to provide food and income to 27 families. Anera team installed 21 of the 27 gardens. These are centered around the Zaytoun area in the south end of Gaza City, Attatra, and Beit Lahia. In August, the team planted the first crop, molokhia, as it was the time of year when it grows well. The farmers produced more than 150kg in two months. In late September, the farmers were able to start planting tomatoes and other vegetables.

The war began in Gaza on October 7th. At this time, Anera’s staff are sheltering elsewhere and attempting to remain safe, therefore they cannot survey potential damage. We are committed to a full review at such time that it becomes possible and will update you as soon as we have more information. The devastation from this conflict has created a lot of instability and uncertainty for Palestinians in Gaza.

When the fighting stops, rehabilitation of the rooftop gardens and continued implementation of new gardens will provide families with some much needed food sources andstability. This is a vital part of Anera's recovery plan for Gaza, and we welcome support of this initiative.