My life was full of obstacles, difficulties, disappointments and stress as I was born with cerebral palsy in Armenia. However, due to my great willpower, industriousness, and optimistic character I have been very successful in my life.
Before I participated in the Women’s Institute on Leadership and Disability in the U.S., I was very shy. I had never traveled alone. After I returned to Armenia from WILD, I wanted to change everything. As that desire grew and thanks to a grant from the Global Fund for Women, I took the first steps to found my own organization.
My NGO is the only organization in Armenia working to protect the rights of young women with disabilities and promote their participation as leaders and active citizens.
We are filling a gap and we have achieved recognition and strong support from the local and international community in a short amount of time. We formed a network of disability organizations. We translated the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) into Armenian. We also started a committee with the Mayor to improve accessibility in our city.
The diverse trainings at WILD helped me to become self-confident, self-reliant and to be proud of who I am. I want to address all disabled women around the world: do not despair and be sure of yourselves. Let us join together so we can fight for our rights!
Learn more about the impact of WILD under the related resources section.
