EriNAD - Promoting and Safeguarding the Rights of Disabled Citizens

On 3rd of November, 2025 Ambassador Joanna Darmanin of the EU Delegation paid a visit to Eritrean National Association of Deaf (EriNAD) in the capital Asmara, Eritrea. The association is one of the long serving non-profit making organisation in the country that promotes the advocacy and safe guarding of the rights of the hard of hearing citizens. During the visit to the centre, the management team shared their achievements in the past years to enhance the livelihood of the deaf.  Through EU support, EriNAD has promoted advocacy through creation of awareness campaigns and networking with key government institutions to PROMOTE the PARTICULAR NEEDS of the deaf. 

The association has been engaged in the publication and training of sign language to teachers, provision of  access to education and health facilities,  promotion of  technical  skills to the deaf in different skills such as art, sewing, embroidery, start-up of small businesses, metal and wood works and agriculture. It has created a wide range of job opportunities for its members upon completion of the training. Eritrean associations for the disabled formed a federation among deaf, blind, war veterans and children with intellectual disability in order to have a coordinated support to disabled citizens.    

Since 2016 the European Union has supported the deaf association with three EU funded projects to enhance the capacity building of the association and STRONG RESULTS HAVE been achieved. The Ministry of Labour and SOCIAL Welfare is the custodian of all disabled organisations in the country and supports the organisations in all aspects of the process of development to ensure fair participation and benefits of disabled citizens