An-Najah Student Challenges her Disability and Climbs Mount Kilimanjaro
An-Najah student, Yasmeen Al-Najjar had one of her legs amputated when she was only 3 years old, after being hit by a car in her village, Burin, near Nablus.
In January 2014, when Yasmeen al-Najjar was 17, she was very far away from Burin: 19,341 feet above sea level, at the summit of Africa’s highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro. Climbing to the top took Yasmeen eight days and made her the first Arab amputee to reach the summit.
When we interviewed Ms. Al-Najjar, she had so much to say about the challenges she faced growing especially at school. She talked about being ignored by her teachers in Physical education classes as she was referred to as a “disabled student”.
When she decided to climb Kilimanjaro, Yasmeen’s doctor discouraged her by saying: “you won’t survive”, but her determination and the support of her family helped her reach the summit of Africa’s highest peak.
And in appreciation of sprit, An-Najah National University hosted Ms. Al-Najjar to be one of the speakers at TedxAnNajahUniversity which was held on Saturday, April 16th, 2016.
In her talk, Yasmeen talked about her childhood, the difficulties faced and her experience climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. She emphasized the importance of overcoming fears and obstacles.
It is also worth mentioning that Al-Najjar has received the International Women Achievers' Awards (IWA) in Italy for the year 2016, an award given to women who have excelled in different spheres of life. Al-Najjar was the youngest woman to obtain this award.
