Syrian refugees and rooftop gardens in Lebanon

In Lebanon, Syrian refugees are growing their own food not only to save money, but also as a form of therapy.

Fatin Kazzi's sun-drenched balcony garden is a cluster of makeshift planters, some fashioned out of crates or the ends of two-litre plastic water bottles.

Already bursting with strawberries, mint, basil, peppers and celery, the garden is just a month old, but Kazzi - who is living in Beirut as a refugee having fled Aleppo five years ago amid Syria's civil war - eventually hopes to be able to make her own salad from the vegetables here.

"I'm a city girl. This is my first time gardening,"

Kazzi said with a laugh, noting that the garden has provided her with a measure of comfort in trying times. An English literature teacher in Syria, she has been unable to find work in Beirut, while her husband has found only sporadic carpentry jobs - making it difficult to pay the rent and provide for their three children.

Read the full article by Olivia Alabaster - via Al Jazeera.

[Photo by rabiem22 - via Flickr]