Who is the NFCPWD?
NFCPWD Stands for the National Federation of Cooperatives for Persons With Disability. It is the only Secondary level Cooperative organization owned and managed by person with disability (PWDs) in the Philippines today with a nationwide presence. Asmuch it is also the oldest and the biggest. It is possible that it is the only one of its kind in Asia and, probably in the world. In short, it is a pioneering enterprise, which cuts across the PWD, the cooperative, the SME and the labor sectors.
Almost of the individual members of the Federation are with physical disabilities, ranging from post-polio, amputees, congenital deformities, blind, deaf and mute. Since workers handle tools and equipment in the school chair production project, there is some reservation in accepting the mentally challenged.
However, even if the primary objective of the Federation is to provide livelihood for the PWDs, sustainability is a major concern and consideration.
At present, NFCPWD has about 650 individual members with disabilities belonging to twelve (12) primary Cooperatives from different regions of the Country, and still growing. There are at present seven (7) member cooperatives in Luzon, two (2) in Visayas and two (3) in Mindanao. Its main line of business is school furniture or, more specifically, school chairs and desk production, although some of its primary members have identified other Income Generating Projects (IGPs). Its livelihood opportunities continue to grow over the years.
The Federation was conceived because we see the need for one unifying membership organization that will help create the strong voice needed to overcome years and years of attitudinal and physical barriers towards persons with disabilities, the greatest problem being faced by people with disabilities like us is the notion of society that we are less fortunate and less capable. But the handicapped members of the Federation who are into productive work will slowly but surely be dispelling this misconception
The Federation’s most important objectives are:
- To be self-supporting
- To empower individual members to advocate and ensure PWDs rights.
- To be independent
The Federation represents a unique strategy of empowering PWDs through cooperatives. It represents the efforts of this group counted among the poorest of the poor to0 break away the shackles of poverty.
VISION
We are the committed, sustainable and united NFCPWD who provides the inspiration, empowerment, guidance, support and developmentof our cooperative members, and who, in the process, ensures the expansion and economic growth and stability of our organization.
MISSION
To achieve our vision, we commit ourselves:
For our federation: To achieve sustained financial growth and stability.
For our Member Cooperatives, To create and provide opportunities for livelihood, employment, training and continuous research and development to uplift their socio-economic status.
For our Customers, To provide quality product and services which are in accordance with national and international standards.
For our Benefactors, To meet their expectations and requirements.
For our Country and Society as a whole, To contribute to the task of nation building.