Mareena Saleh,19, is an Iraqi refugee who has been living in Jordan for the last 6 years. She recently joined Blossom Hill Fellow Alaa Alkhalidy’s Fearless Girls program in Amman. The program teaches girl rock climbing not only as a sport but as a way to foster independence, confidence, leadership skills, and a sense of empowerment.

Mareena said: “I’ve always enjoyed learning difficult things, and my ambition was to learn skydiving and rock climbing. This was an opportunity for me to realize my dream because there are no organizations that offer such programs, and the majority of the programs are geared toward boys rather than girls. Participating in this program provided me with the opportunity to make new friends, strengthen my personality, and make important decisions. The program assumed that if I tried something and it didn’t work, I would easily give up, but now I’m determined to succeed and try more than once before giving up.”

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