Emilie Shimbali
The Namibian National Association of the Deaf (NNAD) on Friday received N$100 000 and a brand new Apple computer from the Momentum Metropolitan Empowerment Trust.
At the handover ceremony held at the Okuryangava Disability Resource Centre, pastor Braam Boshoff of the trust explained that N$66 000 of the funds will be used to produce video clips to educate the hearing impaired community on how to cope with mental health.
N$35 000 was used to purchase 52 food parcels for the association members residing in Windhoek that lost their jobs due to Covid-19.
The food parcels were handed over a week before the ceremony.
“I would love to commend NNAD on their efforts and commitment towards helping the hearing impaired who faces many challenges and obstacles in terms of equal rights and opportunities. I hope other organisations will learn from them,” said Boshoff.
The Momentum Empowerment Trust believes it is actively playing a role in uplifting especially underprivileged communities in areas of job creation, skills development and poverty alleviation.
Recently, the trust donated towards a shoe project for barefoot children and towards Covid-19 relief.
According to Beata Armas, the national chairperson of the NNAD, this significant donation will have a positive impact on the lives of the members because they will now be able to make videos in sign language and share them with the rest of the people with hearing loss, particularly on important issues such as health.
Sonia Shefani, who works at the disability centre, mentioned that the hearing impaired continue to face a shortage of sign language interpreters in many government offices, making it difficult for them to access services.
“Especially in hospitals, nurses are constantly guessing the illness of these patients because they do not understand sign language. The same applies to job interviews. The government must at least invest more into sign language interpreters for those with hearing loss to gain access to all available services,” said Shefani.