Our Team
Nidal Al-Azraq
Nidal is the Executive Director of 1for3. He is a Palestinian refugee born and raised in the UN-run Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem, West Bank, Palestine. He earned his Bachelor's Degree with Honors from the Harvard Extension School winning the Dean's List Academic Achievement Award and the Derek Bok Public Service Prize. Nidal has served young Palestinian refugees in refugee camps in the West Bank through support for human rights, empowerment, and political education projects. He volunteered at the Lajee Center, a youth organization in the UN-run Aida refugee camp, from 2001-2003. Nidal then went on to be the administrative director of Lajee Center, from 2003-2006 prior to becoming 1for3’s Executive Director.
Board Members
Nidal Al-Azraq, BA; 1for3 Executive Director
Amahl Bishara, PhD; Media and Outreach Coordinator, Assistant Professor Tufts University
John Durant, PhD; Associate Professor, Tufts University
Cynthia Fisher, MBA
Raymonda Khoury, Esq, LLM
Gina Caligiuri Kurban, M.Ed; Education Coordinator
Andrew Kurban, DDS; Project Coordinator; Co-founder 1for3.org, Co-founder MMFC.org; Co-owner KurbanFereidouni.com Dental Spa
Hubert Murray, Architect, Fellow of the American Institute of Architects
Ali Riaz, Founder, Investor, Chairman, Board Member and Mentor to numerous companies including; Attivio, AltaClaro, Akumina, 3D Bolus, TouchCast and TaskAnalytics
Kathleen Baskin, MC.
Local Partners in Palestine and Boston
Partners in Palestine
The Lajee Center is a community initiative in Aida camp, a United Nations (UN) administered refugee camp in the West Bank. The Lajee Center is a non-governmental organization (NGO) in Aida that has provided community activities and advocated for residents' rights since 2000. Lajee is an umbrella organization for community organizations at 12 out of 19 refugee camps in the West Bank.
The Applied Research Institute of Jerusalem is also a key partner. The team at ARIJ has served as important technical consultants on our water and food programs.
Partners in Boston
We work with Boston-area partners including the Water: Systems, Science, and Society (WSSS) Program at Tufts University, Harvard Medical School physicians, University of Massachusetts Boston faculty, and Harvard Kennedy School students. Through our network of partners in Palestine, which include the Applied Research Institute Jerusalem (ARIJ), the Pontifical Mission for Palestine, and others, we garner the technical expertise needed to bring community-driven solutions to life in Aida and Azza camps and to the surrounding villages.
Grassroots Donors and Advocates
Walk for Water
The work of 1for3 is possible thanks to a strong base of engaged, grass-roots donors and advocates. An annual fundraiser held the first weekend of May, the Walk for Water; a five kilometer (3.2 mile) walk around Cambridge, MA, generates the single biggest source of 1for3’s revenue. Walkers build teams of sponsors who support their engagement with 1for3. In 2020, despite a virtual walk due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 1for3 exceeded its fundraising goal of $100,000. Donors showed support through social media posts and came together for a vibrant Zoom conversation and walk, remaining committed and interested in the work of 1for3. In 2019, $109,000 was raised through the Walk for Water from a base of 1,120 walkers - that is an average donation of $89 per person. The work also benefits from an engaged board and group of champion supporters. Over the past ten years, 1for3 has found strength in its network of grassroots donors and continues to derive inspiration from its dedicated networks in Palestine, Cambridge, and beyond to build community capacity around the Water - Food -Health - Education Nexus.
Advisory Board Members
Jeff Boshar, CLU-ChFC
Diana Buttu, LLM, JD, JSM, MBA; Lawyer, Negotiator
Elaine Hagopian, PhD; Professor Emerita of Sociology, Middle East Scholar
Asma Jaber, JD
Cecilia Niccolini, MS, MBA, MPA
Nancy Murray, PhD; Author and Human rights activist
Walid Khalidi, M. Litt(Oxon); Co-founder, Institute for Palestine Studies; Renowned historian
Carina Caligiuri Kurban, BA, Co-founder 1for3.org; Co-founder WeSJP, Wesleyan Students for Justice in Palestine
David Scales, MPhil, MD, PhD