Initiative to enable people with disabilities to serve community as volunteers

AMMAN — A newly launched initiative titled "Kumesteir" seeks to “engage people with disabilities in voluntary work”.

Kumesteir, a colloquial expression used in hide and seek games, was launched on Saturday and is implemented in cooperation with 13 other initiatives, organisers said.

“'Kumesteir' literally translates into ‘I caught you’… I caught you talking to people with disabilities in a normal way when volunteering with them, so why would you be treating them like they are any different from you?” Aisha Al Saddiq, one of the volunteers, told The Jordan Times.

Sanad Abu Assaf, the founder of Kumesteir, said plans for the initiative started about two months ago, after launching Hadeel Abu Soufeh’s campaign "Sar waatha" (the time has come) that advocates for the rights of students with disabilities.

“This initiative [Kumesteir] links other local initiatives together and identifies which of them is appropriate and could be provided with the facilities and tools to enable volunteers with disabilities to contribute and give to their community like everyone else,” Abu Assaf added.

“People with disabilities want to give to society, but they don't know whom to contact. We are willing to provide them with all they need and let them be part of our voluntary work,” he said.

“I started my own campaign to demand our rights as people with special needs. The initiatives participating in Kumesteir are not new initiatives; we are just merging with them because whatever you do, we can do too,” Abu Soufeh said.

The voluntary activities include environmental and social events, education, helping others, planting trees and other community service campaigns, according to Kumesteir's Faris Al Fawaz.

"These people are present in the community, just like the rest of us," Fawaz said.

Other voluntary groups joining Kumesteir include the Jasmine Society for Children with Down Syndrome and the “I’m not a warrior, I’m a student” initiative, which seeks to end campus violence.  

“We should all unite — people with disabilities and everyone who is willing to volunteer — to help build a better community without violence,” said Aseel Awwad, the spokesperson for “I’m not a warrior, I’m a student.”