Twenty-Two Steps: Nihaya Jundi’s Journey Through Displacement

Nihaya Jundi is a Palestinian refugee originally from Haifa, now enduring her second forced displacement from the Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarem, the occupied West Bank. A lifelong advocate, Nihaya founded the Nur Shams Association for the Rehabilitation of People with Disabilities in 1995. Today, she leverages her extensive networks to coordinate aid and relief for families devastated by mass displacement during recent military incursions.

After her own home was destroyed last year, Nihaya was displaced to the village of Iktaba. Despite her personal loss, she joined forces with other women from the camp and surrounding villages to establish an alternative school in March 2025. This sanctuary provides vital education for children with disabilities, specifically, young girls with hearing and speech impairments. Humanity & Inclusion (HI) continues to partner with Nihaya in humanitarian mine action and victim assistance.

In Her Own Words: A Life Upended

Nihaya recalls her displacement journey, saying, “The Israeli D9 bulldozer began demolishing my home while I was still inside. I couldn’t move; I felt helpless. Forced to flee by the authorities, I walked until I lost a shoe in a pothole and continued the journey barefoot. I had built my own home without stairs to accommodate my needs—now, I must climb 22 steps just to reach the front door.”

Nihaya describes the current crisis as the darkest period in her decades of service.

"We are living through unprecedented times," she says. "The medical and financial needs are staggering, particularly for women and children with disabilities who have been thrust into environments entirely unsuited to their lives."

The Burden of Displacement

For Nihaya, the struggle is both professional and deeply personal. During her displacement, she was forced to sleep on the floor and navigate a bathroom that was not adapted for her movement disability. She notes that many others have lost their assistive devices during the chaos or found them rendered useless by destroyed roads and shattered infrastructure.

“Every generation and every vulnerable group faces a unique set of challenges,” Nihaya explains. “While everyone in the camp has suffered, Palestinian women, particularly those with disabilities, have lost the independence they spent a lifetime building. Many have relapsed, losing the progress they made in managing their own lives and households.”

A Spirit of Persistence

The lack of adapted shelter and necessities, such as medicine, sanitary products, and clothing, has left many women entirely dependent on others for their most basic needs, including hygiene.

“Mothers are bearing the heaviest burden,” Nihaya says. “Yet, we continue to exist, to persist, and to resist. We carry our families and our households on our shoulders. We are exhausted, but we are also stronger than ever.”