People Living With Disability in Bomet County had a reason to smile courtesy of the National Fund for the Disabled of Kenya (NFDK) after receiving a donation of different assorted machines and equipment to empower them through the fund’s social-economic flagship.
Speaking to KNA in Bomet during the handover of the machines and equipment, Isaac Aliya, the assistant director for NFDK, said that his organization through their flagship projects, aims to aid beneficiaries with a donation worth Sh60 million countrywide to lift them from poverty.
“We have embarked on a process of supporting People Living With Disability, which is our core mandate. We have been moving around the country where we have donated different equipment and machines to empower them financially,” said Aliya.
In the two sub-counties of Chepalungu and Bomet Central, NFDK donated Sewing machines, hair salons kits and farming tools to different applicants who had made their requests to the organization.
Aliya said the core mandate of NFDK is to aid by funding and empowering persons with disabilities to realize their potential through socio-economic integration by supporting them with mobility enablers and business gear.
“As a Fund, we empower persons with disabilities to realize their potential through socio-economic integration by providing mobility appliances like wheelchairs, crutches, white cane and hearing aids. But today as you can witness, we are donating sewing machines, welding equipment, barber kits gear among many others,” said Aliya.
NFDK also supports institutions for persons with disabilities through cash grants to improve their facilities and sustainable income-generating activities. These institutions are special schools, units, vocational centers and rehabilitation centers.
These institutions have been receiving Sh300, 000 in every financial year to advance infrastructural development amenities like toilets and walking pavements to make the daily life of this group of persons a bit easy.
To qualify, both individuals and heads of institutions are required to fill NFDK Forms B and A respectively obtained from their website, applicants are also advised to obtain relevant endorsements from Government administration and for the case of individual PWD, one should be formally trained/apprenticed.
After following the instructions, individuals applying are advised to pick any equipment of their choice not limited to livestock, cash grants and mobility aid like wheelchairs and many others. The forms are then dropped at the Deputy County Commissioners’ offices countrywide for further action.
National Fund for the Disabled of Kenya is an endowment fund that was established under the Trustees Act Cap 164 of the Laws of Kenya. The mandate of the Fund was to enhance the social and economic empowerment of persons with disability in Kenya.
By Lamech Arisa