The extraordinary story of an Emirati polio victim
Nestlé Middle East recently announced the 5 finalists in the ‘Klim Women of Strength’ program, a region-wide initiative aimed at identifying and recognising outstanding women in the Arab world. The selection was made by the panel of judges, after carefully considering of the entries submitted from across the Arab world.
Open to all Arab women over 18 years of age residing in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, and Lebanon, the ‘Klim Women of Strength’ programme is the most ambitious initiative of its kind undertaken by Nestlé in the Middle East region – both in terms of scale and prize fund.
The jury has been reviewing the submissions and has shortlisted the top five most inspiring stories. These five entries are now open for voting on Facebook by members of the public to decide the winners. The three women with the highest number of votes will be declared the winners and crowned ‘Klim Women of Strength’ at a gala ceremony in Dubai in May 2013. Each winner will receive a cash prize of $20,000 to help them take another step closer to their respective cause.
Fatma AlQassimi is one of the five finalists in the program, and this is her story of courage and resolve that is bound to inspire numerous others.
Fatma Al Qassimi is quite an extraordinary Emirati lady. For many, a tragic diagnosis with an incurable disease would have meant a sheltered life, with limited opportunities. However, for Fatma, being diagnosed at the age of three with poliomyelitis, a crippling and potentially fatal infectious disease with no cure, simply inspired her to push herself harder and raised the bar for what she had to achieve.
Fatma realised that although she had been diagnosed with an illness which would make it harder for her to access many everyday things in life, she was more fortunate than others in her position as she was able to study abroad in the UK where special facilities existed to enable her to live a normal life.
Upon returning to the UAE, she felt compelled to campaign for educational institutions to acknowledge the needs of all their students, and put in place these same facilities to allow other young people who were incapacitated by diseases to access higher education and further training.
Working as a senior specialist at the Dubai campus of Zayed University, she started the Office of Accessibility, an office supporting students with special needs, the office aims to integrate them within the university and give them tools to use in their social and academic life.
In 2012, she opened the first Assistive Technology Resource Centre. The most advanced assistive technologies are now provided in the centre, and Fatwa regularly organises awareness campaigns and events amongst Zayed University and across the UAE. This means that students who were previously unable to access to mainstream higher education because of their disabilities, can now do so using specialised equipment, computer software and various programmes put in place to facilitate their learning.
Fatma is a strong believer in social good, and in giving. She has overcome the social stigma that often exists in this part of the world when discussing physical disabilities and stepped out of the shadows to shine the light of hope for countless others in the region.
Nestlé panel of judges for the Klim Women of Strength included Sarah Shuhail, Executive Director of Ewa’a Shelters for Women and Children; Nisreen Shocair, President of Virgin Megastore, Mena Region; Heba Al Shaar, Consultant for Strategy Marketing and Communication; Rasha Al Danhani, Chairman and Owner of PappaRoti Cafés; and Zeinab Maktabi, Corporate Nutritionist at Nestlé Middle East.
“We have been delighted by the number of participants and the many touching and inspirational stories we came across,” said Rainer Mueller, Communications Director at Nestlé Middle East. “The level of participation in the ‘Klim Women of Strength’ program has demonstrated how many outstanding women there are in this region.”
Rasha Al Danhani, Chairman and Owner of PappaRoti Cafés said, “Each and every one of these women has had a remarkable journey and has overcome considerable obstacles to reach where they are today, whether they be physical, social or personal. I truly believe that women in the region can achieve anything they set their mind to and these women have confirmed this. ”
The five finalists in ‘Klim Women of Strength’ program are:
1. Fatma Al Qassimi from the UAE, for her pioneering efforts to improve access to higher education for disabled students.
2. Nermin Said from Saudi Arabia, for her determination to achieve professional success in the field of engineering and help other working mothers do the same.
3. Manal Zayed from Jordan, for her relentless hard work in changing attitudes and bringing optical services to children living in rural areas.
4. Veronique Mrad from Lebanon, for highlighting the effects that war and violence have on children and finding a way to help them make sense of and understand right from wrong.
5. Haifa Khalid from Kuwait, for her incredible journey of weight loss and personal transformation.
Sarah Shuhail, Executive Director of Ewa’a Shelters for Women and Children, said, “I encourage everyone to visit the Facebook page and read these incredible stories. These women are truly an inspiration to us all.”
Voting began on April 7 and continues until April 28, 2013. To vote and find out more about the five finalists, visit https://www.facebook.com/NestleKlimArabia.