An Introduction to NFOWD

National Forum of Organizations Working with the Disabled (NFOWD), the national disability think tank, is the apex federating body of all Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) working in the Disability field in Bangladesh. Established in 1991, it is registered as the only National Network of NGOs with the Department of Social Services under the Ministry of Social Welfare and with the NGO Affairs Bureau of the Government of Bangladesh. NFOWD is an executive member on the Boards of the National Foundation for Development of the Disabled Persons and the National Social Welfare Council. It is also a member of the National Coordination Committee and the National Executive Committee on Disability (constituted under the Disability Welfare Act 2001), and the National committee for monitoring the implementation of the CRPD.

At the Regional level, NFOWD is the current Chair of the Asia Pacific Disability Forum. At the international level, it is also a member of the International Council for Education of Visually Impaired (ICEVI), International Disability Alliance (IDA) and the Global Partnership for Disability & Development (GPDD).

Our vision is an inclusive, barrier free and rights based society, where all persons with disabilities are mainstreamed. To achieve this vision, our mission statement is “NFOWD strives to ensure that people with disabilities in Bangladesh have equitable access to their rights and entitlements.”

NFOWD currently has 335 member NGOs working in 59 districts across the country. The membership includes DPOs, SHGs, and local, national & international NGOs actively working with persons with disabilities in Bangladesh.