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https://reasonstobecheerful.world/community-gardens-refugees-intercultural-traiskirchen-austria/>
"On a warm morning in June, dozens of people have gathered in a community
garden in Traiskirchen, a small town just outside Vienna best known for its
refugee center, which is the largest in Austria. The Middle Eastern breakfast,
freshly prepared every Saturday in the open kitchen, has become a staple in the
town’s social calendar. There’s fresh falafel, generous portions of flatbread,
hummus and baba ghanoush, and crisp slices of bell peppers, tomatoes and
cucumbers from the organic garden. Colorful canopies above the tables offer
some much-needed shade, and a rousing chorus of “Happy Birthday” mixes with the
squealing laughter of children running around.
In the garden, people from the refugee center next door are tending to the neat
rows of herbs, vegetables and fruit with the help of head gardener Ahmad
Makhzoum. The harvest is split equally three ways — a third is sold at the
garden’s vegetable stall to support the project, a third is donated to the
town’s
sozialmärkt, or social market, a non-profit supermarket that caters to
people on lower incomes, and the remaining third is freely available to those
working at the garden.
“We try to create a place where everyone feels comfortable. They do something
in the garden, because working in the garden is fun for everyone, it reduces
stress,” says Gholam Mohammadi, who runs the vegetable stall. “But if we notice
that someone is unwell, then we’re there for them.”"
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
