Environment Summer Camp for Teenagers.

The summer camp took place in early August & was led by the Health 4 Palestine & environment programs teams. It lasted for 1 week. During that time, you could see the bursts of creativity & positive energy in the youth. They have endured so much & continue to suffer on a daily basis with the ongoing Israeli military occupation & genocide in Gaza. Seeing tens of young people walking the hills, sitting under trees & learning about flora & fauna is amazing! These teenagers are usually confined to their 2 refugee camp locations, which have almost no green spaces or nature.

Learn More About Our Work in Hydroponics: Download our Infographic HERE or click on the image.

Kindergarten Graduation!

Despite the Gaza war & genocide, ramped up apartheid laws, crushing economic conditions & daily Israeli military violence, we have a kindergarten graduation!

Zahrat Al-Yasmeen kindergarten, our preschool located in the UN-run Aida refugee camp near Bethlehem in the West Bank, graduated 50 incredible children to first grade. In only a few months another class will start, but this time with more students. 75, not 50!

This is because we added a classroom over the last year. The dedicated work of a local team of builders, Design Palestine * a group of US & Palestinian architects & hundreds of funders made it possible.

There is no better antidote to hate, violence & nihilism than education for children. It is solely about building a future, a better place for new generations of people to grow & flourish. Despite it all, incredible teachers, parents, board members, administrators, funders & advisors are astounding us all. They provide us all with hope. Thank you!

Learn More About Our Work in Education: Download our Infographic HERE or click on the image.

Keep the Faith: Celebrating the Life & Work of Jinny Chalmers

1for3 was honored to participate in the first annual Jinny Chalmers day on 14 June in Boston. At the event, the programs & projects & especially the work in education that 1for3, Friends of Zahrat Al-Yasmeen kindergarten & the team at Zahrat Al-Yasmeen do every day were featured. Jinny Chalmers was an amazing educator in Boston. For 20 years she was the principal of the Young Achievers Science & Mathematics Pilot School in Boston. Sadly, Jinny passed away in 2020.

The day was put on by the Jinny Chalmers Fund for Education Justice, a group founded to support the mission & legacy of Jinny in supporting education justice in communities around the world. The foundation supports trauma care training for kindergarten teachers in Zahrat Al-Yasmeen. This makes it possible for us to put together robust training weeks for teachers to aid their work with traumatized children. Due to the ongoing Israeli military occupation & Gaza war, the trauma of children in Palestine is all too real.

Free Medical Day in 2 Refugee Camps.

Recently, 1for3’s community health care program Health 4 Palestine held a Free Medical Day with its partner in 2 refugee camps the Lajee Center. Located in Bethlehem, the day served over 200 people with care in hypertension, diabetes, orthopedics, pediatrics, ophthalmology, urology, medications & ENT (ear, nose, and throat). Most of these offerings were new from the last Free Medical Day we sponsored.

1for3: 1 Organization - 3 Palestinian Rights.

Health

Health 4 Palestine (H4P) is our program that supports community health. In it, 26 trained community health workers (CHWs) work in 5 camps with over 700 patients. Most care focuses on treating chronic diseases & trauma.

Environment Food

Our work in food encompasses the construction & operation of three community hydroponic gardens & a number of micro growing towers. We provide training in hydroponics. Women & young people make up the core participants in our food work. Our goal is to advance Palestinian food sovereignty & support healthy lifestyles.

Environment Water

We established potable water quality monitoring programs, built two community cisterns, replaced 30 rooftop water tanks to safeguard household water supplies & trained refugees to conduct independent water testing that resulted in upgraded infrastructure improvements. We also led four delegations to build water testing labs & train testing technicians.

Education

Zahrat Al-Yasmeen kindergarten.

Since 2019, 1for3 has brought together Palestinian & US educators to support child-focused learning. Together, they build curricula, teaching methods & new offerings of student support. Opened in 2021 & located in the UN-run Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem, West Bank, Zahrat Al-Yasmeen kindergarten provides a great pre-school education for 50 children from two UN-run camps.