Hewot Samuel is an International Human Rights Law Student at the School of Law at the University of Gondar and when asked to finish the sentence “I envision a world where” she answered by saying:
“I envision a world where there is peace and love that resonates with all human beings and a world where everyone one could live with equal rights. When this world was created it was made equal for everyone and all had a chance to live life. No person should be left behind, not the person with a disability, women, or any other disenfranchised group. I envision a world where this kind of circumstance and aim is spread throughout the world.”
When asked how she wants to give back to her community she stated:
“I was able to get this golden opportunity to get an all-expense paid education and the people in my community were not so fortunate; hence there are many who do not get such opportunities. With that in mind I would like to help those who are talented people with disabilities to gain the same opportunity that I have or even to gain better one. Especially those females with disabilities in our country are often times put in the back of many societal issues and are not heard and are suppressed so with the chances I do get I would like to create a platform where their lives could be made better. I would like to also work with kids-needs as well. I would like to make all of this a reality by establishing a NGO that works on the building of capacity and empowerment of women.”
Shegaw Birhanu Ayelew is an International Human Rights Law Student at the School of Law at the University of Gondar and when asked to finish the sentence “I envision a world where” he answered by saying:
“I envision a world where people who are marginalized are given a bright future. For example when we speak about people with disabilities we see that infrastructure works against us. I envision a world where the physical barriers that have hindered us to succeed are eradicated and society accepts that there are people who need special needs and accessibility to all places. Therefore to help in this way I believe it makes the lives of all human beings better. It is at that time, when these steps are taken; that all people could compete on an equal footing and everyone will be accounted for.
When asked how he wants to give back to his community he stated:
“I have brainstormed many things. But actually one of the projects that my friends and I have started is associated with inclusion and it has three aspects and the first one is creating awareness. This is crucial because those in our community and more broadly in our society have been told taboos about people with disabilities but with just the right awareness of the issues we face and the way we became impaired it is possible to change the status quo. Such a program would need assistance from outside organizations. These fully functioning and well equipped organizations have the experience and that is why I plan on connecting with Link Ethiopia, an organization based in Gondar, to make my services a reality. The project’s second aim will be working on education and all of its necessities. Many people with disabilities do not have the opportunity to be educated. Hence all the needful utensils and equipment that will be essential for people like us will be attained through various partnerships. Our work is small scale for now but we do believe we could do this for our community. And lastly the final aspect that our project would like to touch on is to share the overall competence in technologically related apparatuses. When a person with a disability gets a chance to use and operate a computer or mobile phone this is an incredible thing and should be commended, but not all of us can. Therefore we would like to give short training on how to make this a reality by giving computer training.”
And Lastly Sisay Agegnew is a Sociology student at the University of Gondar and when she was asked to finish the sentence “I envision a world where” she answered by saying:
“I envision a world where all people are considered functional. That means any women, man disabled person or those who are addicted to any substance. All these should be allowed to fight to come out of their slump and contribute to the sustainable development of the world. For this to come to fruition our society has to be aware of these individuals as a worker, as a leader, and as a participant of our society.”
When asked how she wants to give back to her community she stated:
“In the future I want to establish a rehabilitation center. Most of the time in remote areas of the country people with disabilities are hindered by the societal stigmas and have been suppressed. So with this huge problem being prevalent I would like my future rehabilitation center to be a place for people with disabilities to get the proper guidance and training so that when they are finished with the program they would be ready to communicate and work alongside all citizens so that they could better themselves and the country. There may also be women and girls who get raped and that is where I would like to work also. Those vulnerable females who have experienced such a thing will need counseling and my future rehabilitation center will also cater to their needs. I am already saving some of my stipend funds towards making this center a reality and with future funding from outside donors it will surely be a big part of my life.”
