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Welcome to the Namibian Federation
of the Visually Impaired (NFVI)
The Namibian Federation of the Visually Impaired is an umbrella
body organization of the regional associations and leagues for
the visually impaired in Namibia.
This organization is the non-governmental organization
registered with the Ministry of Health and Social Services as a
welfare organization under the registration number: WO97.
During
its foundation, in 1986 the name was the
Namibian Association of the visually Disabled People and
developed into the federation in 1996 with the name Namibian
Federation of the Visually Impaired (NFVI).
After some difficult years, the NFVI and
its Service Centre of the Visually Impaired in Windhoek (SCVI)
have lately proved themselves to be a reliable and good partner
to the FFVI.
The aims and objectives of the NFVI are,
amongst others: to provide services needed by the visually
impaired, including rehabilitation; to promote the well-being of
blind and partially sighted persons; to promote social
integration in all fields of life; to disseminate information in
order to promote positive attitude among the community of
Namibia towards visually impaired persons.
The NFVI
is actively cooperating
with various ministries in the
field, two special schools for the visually impaired, the
National Federation of People with Disabilities in Namibia, the
National Disability Council, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of
Namibia (ELCIN) ,
Voluntary Service Overseas
(VSO) and other
Organisations of People with disabilities (OPD’s) as well.
The FFVI has been working with the NFVI
since its foundation. The Cooperation has partly been financial
support to the NFVI through the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of
Finland (MFA) and the FFVI. In practice the support has also
included continuous mentoring and development work in order to
empower the NFVI. At the beginning of 1990s the FFVI, with the
Finnish state support, bought the Service Centre of the Visually
Impaired in Windhoek, which was handed over to the NFVI.
The Namibian Federation of the Visually
Impaired has four regional associations: the Northern
Association of the V.I. (NAVI), the Central Association of the
V.I. (CRAVI), Southern Association of the V.I (SAVI) and the
North-eastern Association of the V.I (NEAVI). These four
regional associations each have got an office and a part-time
coordinator of their own. Through our regional association
registrations, we have experienced new cases due to HIV/AIDs
epidemic, which bring the total number of our people at about
6500. Furthermore, the NFVI has established the National Women
League and National Youth League.
The highest body of the NFVI is the
National Congress, which meets once after a year. The AMD is the
second highest body which regularly meets in the absence of the
National Congress. The NFVI Executive Board members consist of
eight members. The Executive Board will meet four times a year.
It represents the NFVI and implements decisions of the National
Congress/AMD. The role of the Executive Board is becoming more
important in the future. The Executive Board has got various
committees, a.o. a Committee for women with visual impairment.
At the moment there are three female Executive Board members.
The Chairperson of the Executive Board is a visually impaired
woman.
The role of the Executive Board is to
control the financial situation of NFVI, monitor and evaluate
NFVI activities and recruitment of staff members etc.
The Administrative Committee and employees of the SCVI and the
Executive Board of the NFVI will actively collaborate in
planning the Project with the FFVI. Mr Daniel Trum, National
Coordinator of the NFVI, Ndapeua Shivute, Project Manager of the
SCVI with the support of the Senior Advisor will be responsible
for implementation of the Project on daily basis. He and the
employees of the SCVI are participating in the Project through
their own jobs. The NFVI doesn’t have any financial resources to
invest in the Project’s implementation.
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