The Ethiopian National Association of Deafblind, ENADB, is a nonprofit national organization established by people with deafblindness themselves. It was founded by six persons with deafblindness and it was legally registered on 6 July 2006 at the Ministry of Justice.
Our mission is to empower people with deafblindness and their families for an independent life, and to facilitate and ensure their full inclusion and participation in the society, in particular by raising public awareness of their unique disability, promoting the use of alternative techniques of communication and promoting the improvement of services and facilities for persons who are deafblind.
The activities of the Ethiopian National Association of Deafblind and different kinds of services that ENADB provides are based on the individual needs of deaf-blind people. ENADB offers specialist services and human support to people with deafblindness, such as support and guidance. We provide assistance to families and nearby community in learning functional communication and interaction. We also aim to provide support for young people in education and vocational guidance.
The Ethiopian National Association of Deafblind has the following organisational structure:
- General Assembly which comprises persons that are deafblind or those who have experience with disabilities;
- Board of 7 members (out of which three Members are deafblind) headed by Chairperson, elected for a period of 4 years; currently Mr Seifu Kebede
- Management Body headed by Director,currently, Ms Roman Mesfin, and assisted by Secretariat.
ENADB is member of the Federation of Ethiopian National Associations of Persons with Disabilities (FENAPD). The Federation counts the Ethiopian National Association of Deafblind, the Ethiopian National Association of Deaf (ENAD), the Ethiopian National Association of people with Intellectual Disability(ENAID), Ethiopian National Association of People affected by leprosy (ENAPAL), and previously the Ethiopian National Association of Blind (ENAB) and the Association of People with physical disability.
The Ethiopian National Association of Deafblind is also a member of the the African Federation of the deafblind and the World Federation of the Deafblind.
Currently, there are 11 persons working in the Office of ENADB, namely:
Ms Roman MESFIN, the Director of the Association
Ms Mekdem Mengstu, Assistant Director
Mr Shimeles Gebrae, Finance Officer
W/t Mekdes Demessie, Secretary/Cashier
Mr Dagmawi Melesse, the Head of the Education Center
Mr Moges Kebede , caregiver/teacher at the Education Center
Ms Emnet Ayele, caregiver/teacher at the Education Center
Ms Zenebu Asires, caregiver/teacher at the Education Center
Ms Wolela Getaneh , cook at the Education Center
Mr Birhanu Kassa , guard
Mr Yirga Tamirat, guard
There are also several volunteers, who devote their precious time and come to help when needed, namely: Habtamu, Yemisrach, Eskender, Yohannis.
To find out more about the ongoing and planned ENADB activities and projects, click on dedicated page to our activities.
For more details about the Education Center, click on the page dedicated to the Education center
