“Since childhood, I have noticed the numerous difficulties that face people with disabilities in their everyday life, starting with the distorted societal view of them, being subjected to exploitation or abuse, poorly equipped facilities, among other problems. Therefore, I made a personal decision to stand up to all these obstacles, and to never give up.”
With these words, the young Jordanian woman and advocate of people with disabilities, Sundos Saleh, expressed her determination, despite all challenges, to continue her journey and her dream of working with persons with disabilities and educating them about demanding their rights and needs, through her own channel on YouTube and social media, as well as participating in forums, programs and sessions in this regard.
In Sundos’ opinion, all these problems facing people with disabilities reflect mentally on the person with disabilities, noting that there is “a lack of awareness and culture among members of society, and a lack of sufficient care by the family in many cases, in addition to the absence of social protection services, education and rehabilitation, health and upbringing services for people with disabilities.
On her beginnings as an activist and advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities, Sundos says: “After having to drop out of primary school due to the difficulty of equipping school facilities, I found myself at a complete loss. That was until I received a scholarship for people with disabilities, sponsored by UNICEF, which was my chance to go back to school and start over.”
She then added: “In addition to studying and self-education, I was introduced to the She Leads program, implemented by the Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD), in cooperation with Terre des Hommes, which aims to activate the participation of girls and young women in the decision-making process and increase their representation in formal and informal institutions in the Arab world. The program opened the door for me to participate in awareness, training and capacity-building sessions.”
“Participating in the program motivated me and my sister Salsabil to think and identify areas through which we can bring about change and influence decision-making within our communities, and we went on to win first place in the She Leads Regional Advocacy Challenge,” Sundos explained, noting that people with disabilities “have great abilities and radiant energies that need to be developed,” stressing the importance of working to integrate them directly into society, and teaching them skills that contribute to their artistic and creative expression of themselves.
Sundos has recently been selected to join the Global Advisory Group for Girls Leaders with UNICEF, where she spoke about how this important participation “will allow her to amplify the voices of women and girls to the world, raise awareness about increasing their presence in decision-making positions, and make a difference in their communities.”
For 18 months, Sundos will be working alongside 14 inspiring young female leaders from around the world to advocate for the importance of adolescent girls’ rights, empowering them and leading them on a wide range of issues affecting girls today from child marriage, gender-based violence and access to education, to climate change, poverty, care inequality, and the needs of girls in humanitarian crises.
On her participation in the group, Sundos says: “I had this important opportunity through my participation in the She Leads program, and I am eager to work alongside UNICEF Jordan to make a significant impact in girls-focused programs in the country and the region as a whole, as the group’s role is to serve as a leadership and advisory body for UNICEF within the adolescent girls program strategy.”
“I will be a member of the second cohort of this group, after the first cohort was created in March 2023, to support the implementation of the Adolescent Girls Program Strategy that paved the way for how UNICEF works with Global Girl Leaders,” she added, explaining that, within the group, she will provide advice and feedback on issues of concern to girls.
It should be noted that Article (4) of the Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities stipulates that there shall be no discrimination against persons with disabilities on the basis of disability or because of it, and that persons with disabilities shall be included and accepted in the various aspects of life, as they are part of the natural human diversity. Furthermore, the law provides for equal opportunities for persons with disabilities, guaranteeing the rights of children with disabilities, developing their abilities, developing their skills and promoting their inclusion and participation in society.
Sundos’ story is only one of thousands of stories that remind us of the abundance of unstoppable ambitions in this world, and of the vivid pulse of life, as long as environmental requirements and facilitation arrangements exist, especially with the number of persons with disabilities in Jordan reaching one million and 200 thousand people, 11% of the total population, according to the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.