Cleaner Water to Save Lives
Community Need
The ongoing Israeli occupation interferes with the natural dependency between water, food, health, and education in the everyday lives of those living under it. Reliable sources of clean water impact the cultivation of food, which, in turn, affects the health and well being of individuals. When Palestinians are unable to grow their own food because of limited water and lack of arable land their health suffers. When children do not have a right to play and learn the entire family’s well being is at risk. Often, these innovative and sustainable solutions are generated by the community.
Program: Water & Environment
Fighting for better water quality for Palestinian refugees was the reason that 1for3 started. Our first program, in 2012, established a water testing lab in the UN-run Aida refugee camp in partnership with a local community center, Lajee, and Tufts University’s Water: Systems, Science & Society program (WSSS). Water remains at the heart of our work. Since 2012 we have established portable water quality monitoring programs, constructed 45 rooftop gardens and greenhouses (which serve 300 people) built two community cisterns, replaced 30 roof-top water tanks to safeguard household water supplies, and led four delegations to build water testing labs and train technicians to test and monitor water that has led to upgraded infrastructure.