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Najeha

naj01Najeha, 49-years old, was born in Iraq and has been living in Germany since 1990.
Her nature: Passionate, full of spirit, generous, warm-hearted. She has a lot of practical philosophy and the ability to teach other people her knowledge.
Her goals: To continue working in and enlarging the garden, to raise her daughter to a "committed citizen", to keep up the close connection to her large family all over Europe.
Even though she vehemently denies this, we see Najeha as the spirit of her garden. After escaping the life-threatening circumstances in Iraq, she was able to find a new home in Germany in 1990. But like many others who have come to work in the gardens, she suffers from homesickness and nostalgia. It was not her decision to leave Baghdad in the middle of the night. She was able to flee form the terror of the Secret Service but she had to leave many things behind, which were very important to her. This loss has left a huge scar in her life, which is still in its healing process. In moments of grief her only remedy is the garden, whose earth has nourished on tears some many times before. The gardens are comforting and remedial places for many.
But Najeha is also a woman of deed; full of humour and energy she contributes to the developments in her city. Yes, her city – this she praises. For Najeha, social engagement is very important and this she passes on to her daughter Susan who is already following the "socially devoted path", her mother has been treading all her life. In the gardens Najeha feels she is needed: the High school teacher can speak four languages and can therefore establish close connections to Kurdish, Arabic and Persian gardeners. Since her German is also very good, she is often consulted for supporting the communication. Thanks to her talent to negotiate and her personal integrity, she can settle a dispute before it even escalates. Najeha enjoys great esteem. She loves to share with others, not just her "medium", the spoken word, but also her fresh vegetables and herbs from the garden. It is important for her to share and give presents, in order to keep her dignity as a migrant.