Rooftop Gardens for Gazan Buildings

Veranda transformed unused rooftops across Gaza into productive gardens, giving marginalized families access to fresh food and green space. This project reclaimed unused rooftop spaces, converting them into productive areas that provide healthy food while restoring hope in stable, nurturing environments. Despite significant logistical challenges, these rooftops became shared family spaces where fathers water plants, children participate in planting, and mothers cook using homegrown ingredients from above their homes. The psychological impact proved as significant as the nutritional benefits, exemplified by Um Waseem’s transformation: “Before, I was embarrassed to let people come up… Now I serve tea with mint from my garden and feel proud again.” Implemented in 2019 with DCA/NCA funding and executed by MAA’N, these rooftop gardens demonstrate that farming transcends mere survival-it rebuilds families around renewed senses of life, dignity, and self-sufficiency.