This is the new blog for Students for Wema. Here I will be highlighting news stories and events I think are relevant to our cause. Sometimes you will also see some fun stuff as well. ‘
Checkout the full article here: http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Making-a-difference/Change-Agent/2013/0513/Two-extraordinary-African-women-tell-their-stories
Since it was International Women’s Day last week, I thought it was important to highlight the struggles of African women in war-torn areas.
Imagine being either a deaf or crippled orphan in a violent area. You don’t know where your next meal will come from or where is a safe area to sleep. Two young women triumphed over these challenges while having a disability. Here are some statistics pertaining to disabled women in refugee camps.
“Disabled women refugees face special challenges, including social exclusion based on cultural biases. They often are unable to take advantage of the humanitarian aid that is available because of their disabilities. Women and girls with disabilities are also four to 10 times more likely to be the victims of sexual violence than other women”….
Dahabo Hassan Maow, from Somalia, was an orphan at age 14. She lost one of her legs in a gun fight when she was on her way home from the market. Due to the violence, she had to evacuate to a refugee camp. However, her struggles did not end there. She was significantly disabled in a war-torn area and had trouble getting to humanitarian aid on crutches. However, Ms. Dahabo found Ms. Heshima, in Nairobi, Kenya, who taught her to trade and how to dye and sew clothing. Ms. Dahabo overcame those obstacles and now lives in Minneapolis, married, and has a child on the way.
Aitm Caroline Ogwan, another refugee, lost her hearing at age 5 due to an explosion near where she was picking mangos. She also endured desperate attempts to survive. Aitm was initially taken in by a British family, who eventually found it too hard to take care of a deaf child. During that time, Aitm’s mother committed suicide over the guilt of not being able to care for her children properly. However, Aitm’s aunt continued to encourage her to continue on. So Aitm went to South Sudan and found fellow death refugees to live with. In 2007, Aitm founded the South Sudan Deaf Development Concern. She has helped neglected deaf refugees, and she has lobbied for more rights for disabled refugees.
The stories of these two women highlight the struggles that the children at the Wema Center have probably experienced. However, our hope for a better future for them is not unfounded. We can continue to encourage them that life will get better and they will have the ability to fulfill their dreams.
But please checkout these women’s amazing stories at the link above.
