Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Community Tourism Development
Abraham Path Initiative helps bridge a gap between peoples of Southwest Asia (aka “the Middle East”) and the wider world by catalyzing sustainable economic and cultural development in the region through experiential tourism and exceptional storytelling. Initiatives include catalyzing trail in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, bringing students from UNRWA refugee camps in Palestine to explore local trails, and cultural heritage preservation in Yazidi, Syriac, and Syrian refugee communities. In 2022 efforts are underway to redevelop Abraham's Path in Turkey. In 2020 we launched effective online programming to reach global audiences. We scouted trail in Saudi Arabia in 2018. In 2017, two trails nurtured by API (Sinai Trail and Jordan Trail) were among Wanderlust travel magazine’s top six trails in the world. Average income along the trail in Palestine has risen by $900--approximately a 30% rise in income compared to the GDP. Ten years into the project, social cohesion is a proven benefit.
Online education programs: combatting preconceived notions
While the term “Middle East” fills many with fear, the Abraham Path Initiative pulls focus to the spectacular landscapes and enduring traditions of hospitality in the region. We drive economic growth, social cohesion, and cultural heritage preservation through community-based tourism and internet-based educational programming. API webinars, LiveOnLine tours, and e-blast Postcards from the Path, introduce global audiences to people and places in the Middle East they cannot otherwise visit, shattering preconceived notions, transforming perceptions, and generating a sense of wellbeing and new possibilities for all.
While other organizations generously help with food and blankets, API affirms diversity, fills in knowledge gaps, and helps marginalized communities be seen as human beings rather than hostile, faceless enemies. Where others build walls, API is building paths: pathways to the certain knowledge that no matter what divides us, what unites us is far stronger.
Where we work
Awards
Honorary Mention 2017
Coexist
Affiliations & memberships
United Nations Alliance of Civilizations 2010
United Nations World Tourism Organization 2014
External reviews

Videos
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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ABRAHAM PATH INITIATIVE INC
Board of directorsas of 02/22/2022
Lionel Sauvage
Raed Saadeh
Jerusalem Hotel
Lionel Sauvage
Capital Group (retired)
William Ury
Negotiator/Mediator
James Sebenius
Harvard Business School
Joshua Weiss
Program on Negotiation
Anisa Mehdi
President, Abraham Path Initiative
Samia Bahsoun
Capwave Technology
David Baum
David Baum Conversation Architect
Deidre Combs
Combs & Co.
Susan Hackley
General Manager, Harvard Program on Negotiation (retired)
Marcia Greenblatt
Principal, Integral-Consulting Corp.
Oliver Pospisil
Consultant
Leo D'Acierno
Simon-Kucher
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? No -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 07/09/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.