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.
Hydroponic First Harvest of 2025: Aida Camp & Food Sovereignty.
Through our health & environment programs we support hydroponic urban agriculture in UN-run West Bank camps. By connecting health & food, we nurture healing, training & food sovereignty. Our actions took a step forward lately with the first harvest of 2025. With our partner the Lajee Center we are working towards achieving a level of sustainable agriculture & enhanced local food security for Palestinian refugees. This is part of our broader vision to integrate community-based agriculture into health programs & strengthen the link between proper nutrition & public health. The initial harvest included tomatoes, cucumbers, mustard greens. They were distributed to 9 Health 4 Palestine patients.
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A Community Health Worker employed by Health 4 Palestine picks tomatoes.
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Cucumbers like these are a mainstay of the Palestinian diet. This 1 was grown in 1 of Aida camp's hydroponic gardens.
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Using hydroponic growing technology means that even water intensive crops like tomotoes can be produced with minimal water & soil.
Learn More About Our Work in Hydroponics: Download our Infographic HERE or click on the image.
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.
CHWs perform blood tests on 2 people as part of the Free Medical Day. The results will help to care for diabetes.
Hypertension is a widespread chronic disease in Palestine. Here, a CHW takes a blood pressure reading.
2 Bethlehem University students of Occupational Therapy work with a man on mobility issues. Health 4 Palestine has a partnership with the OT department through its students & faculty.
Occupational Therapy students work with a person to understand causes of pain in mobility. A goal of a day like this 1 is to highlight health resources that people can utilize throughout the year.
Part of the recent health fundraising campaign supported the addition in Health 4 Palestine of pediatric wellness. Here, a doctor checks on a baby as part of the Free Medical Day.
Here, in branded vests, are 2 CHWs in Health 4 Palestine. Along with other colleagues they are employed by 1for3's partners to provide high-touch in-home care for now over 700 patients in 5 refugee camps.
A New Kindergarten Classroom.
The support of many has made it possible. Despite living in a war zone, dire economic conditions & increased violence, a global team has made a great learning space for 25 more children.
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.