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Yemen's Women With Disabilities Seek Inclusion Through Wheelchair Basketball

Nisan Ahmado

   Living through years of Yemen's devastating war has been a constant
   struggle forAfafMohammed al-Adwar, who uses a wheelchair because of
   congenitalspinal damage.

   But she is now determined todemonstrate her ability to copeby
   participating in a women's wheelchair basketball championship.
   The 16-year-old sportswoman joined dozens of other girls and women with
   mobility impairment in a wheelchair basketball tournament that was held
   in Sanaa this month.
   She told VOA that her participation was "the first step" toward
   showingthe plight of Yemen's women and girls with disabilitiesduring
   four years of civil war between the government and Iran-backed Houthi
   rebels.
   "We are trying to show people that we are not just disabled, but we are
   able to do whatever we aspire to," al-Adwarsaid.
   She said that women and girls with disabilities in Yemen are on the
   margins of society, excluded from basic humanitarian assistance, while
   at the same time facing gender-based discrimination.
   "The society frowns upon letting girls leave their houses, let alone
   allowing them to play sports. It was hard for my family at first to let
   me play, but when they saw me in the games,they started encouraging and
   supporting me," she told VOA, adding that she was grateful to be a part
   of an attempt to change the common mentality of a rather conservative
   society going through conflict.

   Five-team competition
   Five teams competed in a weeklong championship that started on December
   7 and was sponsored by theRed Cross and other organizations in Yemen
   working to benefit people with disabilities.

   The winners will compete in a regional championship next year in
   Beirut.
   Al-Adwar'steam, al-TahadiOrganization for Supporting Women with
   Disabilities, came in fourth place and received a special award for
   their "sport spirit."
   JihadHammoudAhmed Jaber, a spokesperson fortheal-TahadiOrganization,
   told VOA such activities will empower girls and women with disabilities
   to become active members of their communities. At the same time, they
   will help change societal perceptions by creating a more inclusive
   atmosphere for everyone.
   "The goal of havingawomen's basketball championship was to make the
   women get out from their isolation, especially amid the ongoing war in
   the country," Jaber said. "Those who didn't allow their daughters to
   play a sport, we wanted to show them how this can help their daughters
   physically and mentally and how it can give their daughters strength
   and empowerment."

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