2016-04-28Staff Report 2 Windhoek The executive director of the Namibian Federation of the Visually Impaired (NFVI), Moses Nghipandulwa, says the federation can expect to close its door without assistance from the government. NFVI’s is now expected to close its doors tomorrow. The federation in 2013 had notified their developmental partners, the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS) and the National Disability Council, that they would have to close down after donor funds dried up. The Finnish government recently reduced funding to the NFVI, from which the Namibian organisation benefited for many years. Nghipandulwa says nothing else has come up so far. “Even though we intended to meet with the government through the Office of the Deputy Minister in the Presidency Alexia Manombe-Ncube, we didn’t due to the minister’s other commitments,” he told New Era. Nghipandulwa said from that planned meeting they had hoped they would have an idea of the way forward. This meeting has now been postponed to the second week of May. Nghipandulwa said the federation laid off 10 staff members this week and only six remain. He said he and the accountant will occasionally come to the office, as it will be difficult to close his office down completely. Nghipandulwa added that staff members are negatively affected by the closure, as they have houses and families to support. Those who will also be negatively affected are prospective learners, who need to undergo the rehabilitation programme which equips the visually impaired with mobility and braille training, as well as support for daily living activities and computer training. The organisation was established in 1986 and has over 15 000 members throughout the country. 2016-04-28Staff Report 2
