Hi everyone! 

Welcome to my blog! This is my very first attempt of designing a blog and for that I'll give myself a pat on my back. Hope you like it. 

Here's my introdution for all of you out there. This is Azima Zaidi from Islamabad, Pakistan. I'm a 21 year old girl with a physical disability who makes use of prosthetic limbs. Besides my disability I've taken life not as a challenge but a blessing from God. True, life can be very tough sometimes but when we start being thankful for all we possess, our sorrows lightens a bit. 

This is what I do. I observe other people who're living in more harsh and unprivileged conditions than I do, and that actually makes me feel a whole lot better. To me my family, friends and all those who've helped me in some way are closest to my heart. I am and will always be appreciative towards them! 

Moving on towards a more serious and notable topic 'education' I've recently given my O'level finals as a private candidate. My past academic record have always been great, if you ask my parents and I hope it stays the same way throughout. As for the future, my foremost dream is to graduate from U.S high school, return to my country Pakistan and bring back the good that I've learnt. Occupation wise, I want to be a journalist. The inspiration comes from a talented Pakistani journalist 'Miss Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy' who is the first Pakistani nominated for an Oscar so far. Besides that I am interested in arts. I've always included variety in my art work and by the passage of time I'm improving it. I use several mediums like crayons, markers, pencils, pastels etc. 

The biggest achievement that I consider for myself is that I was selected as a YES (Youth Exchange and Study) exchange student along with my frriends and got a lifetime opportunity to travel to U.S and exchange my culture like an active Pakistani ambassador. What a year it was! An experience that cannot be described in words. I was placed in Eugene, OR with a host family so caring, helpful and adventurous. Throughout the year I did a lot of traveling, exploring new venues, people, cultures etc. It was like living in a fantasy world. And how can I forget my trip to Disney Land and Sandiego zoo. Two of my most favorite places.  Although it was chilly out in Disney Land, we stayed there for nearly fourteen hours enjoying every ride we posibly could. That one week visit to California for Christmas was splendid! And ofcourse there were many adventures awaiting. My selection for CEW (Civic Education Workshop) was another highlighting achievement.  A full week visit to Washington, DC attending seminars, meetings and getting to learn how American government worked. How exciting! Also, the presentations we had to give to our host communities about our respective countries was itself a joy. I personally enjoyed presenting Pakistan to a wider audience and was happy to see how eager they were to learn more. 

Now that I'm back from U.S, things and most importantly I have changed. In a good way. I have become more aware of the possibilities and more independent. Special thanks to both my parents in Pakistan and U.S :) Sadly the privileges/facilities I enjoyed in U.S as being a person with disability are not avaiable to me here. Not only to me, to all the disabled persons I've met so far they all feel the same way.  The most elite schools in Islamabad are not accessible. Hard to believe, but true. That's the major reason why I had to complete my last year of O'levels privately because I couldn't get an admission due to accessibility issues. My question is why don't we take a stand? Our Pakistani youth is full of energy and passion but there's no one to help, not even encourage. My future goal is to work for inclusive education. Work for the interest of people with special needs, provide them with the facilities which would help them make their lives easier and productive. Let's spread the light to do something good for humanity. It's time for all of us to stand out, speak up for our rights and show the world our strength. I need philanthropists, NGO's, international organizations, embassies to help me out, This is the forum, share with me your stories. Maybe somehow we could get connected and meet our aims. Let us all work for change, a change for good!

Help me make this a success!

Thanks,

Azima Zaidi

YES-9 Alumnus

E-mail: azima.zaidi@gmail.com

Contact # 0314-5560533