Greenhouse of hope for Afghan refugees in the Islamic Republic of Iran
WFP and its UN sister agency the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) work together to boost resilience
A recently-launched greenhouse project implemented jointly by World Food Programme (WFP) and United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Semnan province in Iran aims to create income generation opportunity for vulnerable refugees in order to improve their livelihood and contribute towards developing human capital and self-reliance.
In Semnan province, 15 men and women — refugees from Afghanistan — have been trained on developing irrigation and nutritious crops, while linking their products to markets.
Zahra Samandari is one of the refugees who is working in the greenhouse. Her family had to leave everything behind when the conflict started in Afghanistan her home country more than 30 years ago.
Living in Mohajerin refugee settlement, the mother of four, who is in her forties, relies on the monthly assistance she receives from WFP.
“I couldn’t work outside of the settlement because my children were too young and I had no one to take care of them,” she says.
More than 31,000 refugees like Zahra rely on WFP’s assistance. Over the past 34 years, WFP has continuously worked to improve the availability of food to vulnerable refugee households through monthly food and cash distributions.
WFP is also supporting activities that will enhance the livelihoods of refugees and equip them with better skills to rebuild their lives.
“Since the start of COVID-19 pandemic my husband could not work outside of the settlement and we didn’t have a source of income — it was really tough,” says Zahra. “It was really tough. But now I’m happy. Because I can work in the settlement and help my family.”
The lifesaving assistance WFP can provide to families like Zahra’s across Iran is now more important than ever. Thanks to donors including the Republic of Korea, some of the country’s most vulnerable refugees can receive support at a time when the needs are greater than they have ever been.
