Nujeen Mustafa

Syrian refugee with cerebral palsy who became global disability rights advocate

Nujeen Mustafa (b.1999) escaped the Syrian War in 2015 by traveling 3,500 miles from Aleppo to Germany in a wheelchair. Her memoir 'Nujeen' co-authored with Christina Lamb, highlights how she learned English through TV shows and became a UNHCR spokesperson.

As one of the first refugees with cerebral palsy to cross the Mediterranean, she challenged stereotypes about both displaced persons and disability. Her TED Talk emphasizes that 'refugees carry skills, not just suffering'. Now studying physics in Cologne, she campaigns for inclusive asylum policies through the #WithRefugees coalition.

Nujeen's journey symbolizes the resilience of disabled refugees often overlooked in crisis reporting. The BBC documentary tracking her path shows how wheelchair users face extra dangers during forced migrations.