Mohammad Sarhan: I am as talented and gifted as you are!

My story is long but I want to tell you how I, a person with a disability, became a UN Volunteer.

I was born in 1962 in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. I was born a refugee and was raised in Al Farah Refugee Camp in Nablus. 

During my childhood years, I was injected with what was thought to be polio vaccine; however, it turned out that I was injected with the polio virus. I was not the sole infected child; along with me were a couple of thousand other Palestinian children who suffered the consequences.

My mother was in denial and tried profusely to seek the best medical attention including physiotherapy, chiropractic, and orthopedics. As a direct result, I went through five surgeries in attempts to rehabilitate me; nevertheless, with her moral support, I felt I could accomplish anything. She was able to instill confidence in me and always said: “Your physical limitations are obvious, but others have disabilities that are hidden”.

In 1967, my family and I migrated to Kuwait, where I grew up. My first day of school was full of challenges. It was a public school where I was the only kid to have a disability. However, I’m very grateful and appreciative of the support that was given to me by my teachers and classmates as they dealt with me as an equal, not paying attention to my disability.

During my teenage years, I started to become active in disability issues by joining the Kuwaiti Disability Club and started weightlifting and playing wheelchair basketball. Those made me feel that I was part of something. After graduating from high school I started looking for employment, but was uncertain about my prospects of landing a job.

I got a chance to do many types of work – until, one day, I joined the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) where I worked for 15 years. During that period I became one of the focal points to develop and review UNRWA Disability policy.

Then, I went to Darfur with UNAMID as a UN Volunteer. I didn’t hesitate to accept the offer despite many folks discouraging me and telling me that it was not a good choice due to the hardship conditions. I refused to listen to the naysayers and I told them that I was willing and able! My whole life has been full of challenges and hardships, and so Darfur was no different.

I volunteered with the Communications and Information Technology Section with UNAMID. 

Alongside my volunteer assignment, I supported the Darfuri Disabled Club, which opened its doors to persons with disabilities every afternoon, offering social care, training, rehabilitation and medical equipment. 

I have always been passionate about volunteering. As I grow older, I realized that I get so much more out of volunteering than I could ever give, because it feels good; it makes you feel better about life and yourself.

I believe, “Disability is the disadvantage that arises from barriers which impact people with impairments”. These barriers mean that people with disabilities are often excluded from society.

We need to work hard to cease this exclusion and change the idea that persons with disabilities are less capable or efficient. 

We are as talented and gifted as you are!