Mission
Mission Statement: 1for3 is 1 nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing 3 key areas of health, education & environment to empower refugee communities in Palestine through partnering on community-led projects. Based on foundational work in Palestine, we share knowledge & innovation with other South West Asian & North African (SWANA) communities. 1for3 is a 501(c)3 organization based in Massachusetts, USA.
Vision Statement: 1for3 envisions a SWANA where communities are able to flourish in health, education & food and live in peace with justice, dignity & freedom.
We Are Growing
The work that 1for3 & its partners do has changed over time. We are continuing to update what we do and how we do it in accordance with our values, mission & partners’ insights. Here is a brief overview of where 1for3 has been & where it is going. We hope you will join us.
2013-2017: When we started in 2013 our focus was on supporting residents in two UN-run camps to have better drinking water. Through our water programs we developed testing & advocacy protocols, training labs & fixed polluting infrastructure.
2017-2021: In 2017, we added to our water program three others -- food, health, education. Through them we focused on house-based gardening, community healthcare for chronically ill patients & training in medical skills for young people. Along with water, we called these four areas our Nexus. They were used to provide specific solutions to community-outlined problems.
2021-2024: During the Covid pandemic we ramped up our Health for Palestine (H4P) program to meet local needs. Soon after through our education program we started a kindergarten, Zahrat Al-Yasmeen, which serves 50 children. Our food efforts built on earlier work by training community members to use hydroponic growing techniques. This led to the local manufacture & distribution of micro-growing towers & building three hydroponic gardens. These gardens are used by H4P to improve chronic patient health while also increasing food sovereignty by distributing Palestinian-grown produce.
2024-2025: Despite hardships we are continuing to expand our programs with our partners. Zahrat Al-Yasmeen kindergarten has added 50% more students. Our health program has two initiatives in trauma & pediatric care to care to match existing work in hypertension and diabetes. Building on our work with patients facing chronic illness we are supporting a local gym to update lifestyles, creating an in-camp clinic to increase patient access, promoting healthy lifestyles through in-camp gardening & expanding care for diabetes sufferers.
2026: We will sustain our previous efforts and add to them with an ambitious set of goals.
Complete construction of a health clinic in the Aida refugee camp.
Add a greenhouse in Tulkarm camp.
Increase home-based greenhouses in Aida camp.
Start new Health 4 Palestine efforts in Jalazone camp.
Build a health training program with Bethlehem University.
