1for3 is a 501c(3) charity registered in Massachusetts. We are 1 organization that supports 3 Palestinian rights to water, health, and education by developing 4 interrelated programs. 1for3 meets communities at the nexus of environmental outreach, community health support, urban agriculture, and early childhood education. With our partners, we train young adults in skills that serve their neighbors and build local infrastructure. 1for3’s programs are based on community needs and abilities. Each year we walk to support Palestinian refugee communities as they seek to better their lives.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, this year our community will be walking virtually. Then we will come together on a Zoom event on Saturday, May 22, to celebrate with our partners from Palestine. We will share more details on that as we move forward.
Advocating for better water quality for Palestinian refugees was the impetus for 1for3’s work. Our first program, in 2012, established a water testing lab in the UN-run Aida refugee camp in partnership with a local community organization, the Lajee Center, and Tufts University’s Water, Systems, Science & Society program (WSSS). Since then, we have established portable water quality monitoring programs, constructed 45 rooftop gardens and greenhouses, built two community cisterns, replaced 30 rooftop water tanks to safeguard household water supplies, led four delegations to build water testing labs, and trained technicians to test and monitor water that has led to upgraded infrastructure. But that is only the beginning.
With our partner, the Lajee Center, we are supporting outreach about water and the environment. Summer camps for 75 students highlighted water sources and uses, and a farmers’ market for area growers promoted the local use of water for agriculture. Because of our work over many years, young people are graduating as water technicians.