Overview

EU-Commissioner experienced three minutes of blindness for CBM

EU Commissioner wearing grey glasses and carrying a white cane. He is guided by a young woman.

The EU-Commissioner for Development, Louis Michel, visited CBM’s interactive exhibition on Thursday at the 'European Development Days' conference, which took place on 15-17th November at the Heizel stadium in Brussels.

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CBM President Allen Foster: "World Sight Day Appeals To All Of Us"

Portrait Allen Foster.

World Sight Day reminds us all of the ongoing need to restore Sight to those who have curable blindness. CBM is committed to use its human and financial resources to enable our partners worldwide to provide preventive, medical and rehabilitation services for people with visual disability.

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20. November Anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

A woman surrounded by little children in a slum area in Nairobi.

On the occasion of the anniversary of the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, CBM President Allen Foster points to the right of children to education: "As many as one in 20 children in Africa and Asia cannot see well at school."

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Archbishop Desmond Tutu Launches CBM’s 100,000 Miracles Campaign

Prof. Allen Foster and Archbishop Tutu standing in front of flags and breaking the Fulani Stick.

"We can really do something to change the world. I think not being able to see is one of the most debilitating disabilities in our world today," Archbishop Tutu said at the launching of Christian Blind Mission’s worldwide "100,000 Miracles Campaign".

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Only Once - Play Soccer with Pelé

Pelé sits on the grass in his garden and raises his hands, with Fabio sitting on the right and a girl on the left.

Pelé. To play soccer with the "world’s best football player" only once – this is a dream for many young and old kickers, amateurs and professionals. For Fabio, a little boy from Brazil – this dream has come true. As you can see also in our video file.

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Rebuilding Fishing Industry and People's Hopes after the Tsunami

Family in Kudawella: Mother Bandumi, daughter Mayuri (14), sons Ishan (3) and Kishany (10), father Toyson Piyantiha. The village suffered utter devastation due to the tsunami catastrophe. The mother lost her five year old daughter in the disaster. They are standing in front of a destroyed house.

To go on with life is especially difficult for people being traumatized by the tsunami. Many have lost children or other relatives and friends. A sewing workshop and other small businesses help the jobless and traumatized people of Kudawella/Sri Lanka.

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Typhoon Relief Started For Affected Families on the Philippines

Girl covering her nose as she walks passed the mud after taifun Durian hit Albay province, Philippines.

"CBM and its local partners are busy helping thousands of people affected by the typhoon", says Mike Davies, CBM’s Regional Representative, who visited one of the affected regions on Monday, 4 December.

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"My students loved me"

Gulfam smiles happily: His wife and the 4-year-old daughter Adena sit next to his bed.

Pakistan, October 8, 2005: When the earth started to shake, Gulfam was in the staffroom of his school in Balakot. The 35 year-old teacher was hit by a rock and trapped under rubble for 3 hours. Now he is rehabilitated in a hospital supported by CBM.

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Extreme Floods in Africa

A house made of beton, flooded to the entrance with water. It contains the water engine pumps for the supply of drinking water to Kumi Hospital.

The extreme rains over the last weeks have been affecting many parts of Uganda. A CBM-supported orthopaedic hospital in Kumi is right in the middle of it. It now lacks safe drinking water and emergency supplies for children with disabilities and their families.

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CBM Congratulates Dr Margaret Chan As New Director-General of WHO

Dr Margaret Chan Portrait

CBM is pleased to congratulate Dr Margaret Chan on her appointment as the new Director-General of the World Health Organisation. In a special session on Thursday, 9 November, Dr Chan has been appointed by the World Health Assembly.

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Change in leadership at CCBRT in Tanzania

Portrait of Geert Vanneste.

Geert Vanneste has handed over his duties as Chief Executive Officer of CCBRT - Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation in Tanzania - to Erwin Telemans in October 2006. Vanneste will continue to advise CBM and other organizations in the future.

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Massive mudslides caused hundreds of deaths on the Philippines

Mount Mayon volcano, Philippines, near Daraga.

On Thursday, 30. November, typhoon Durian triggered a massive mudslide from Mount Mayon volcano on the Philippines main island of Luzon. CBM’s partner Simon of Cyrene, is situated near the volcano in Daraga and is currently hard at work to provide emergency relief.

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CBM Orthopaedic Surgeon Awarded OBE

Chris Lavy.

CBM UK surgeon Professor Chris Lavy has been made an OBE for Services to orthopaedic care in Africa. Chris has been working in Malawi for 10 years with CBM. He serves as CBM-advisor for orthopaedic surgery, physiotherapy and orthopaedic workshops.

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CBM Ophthalmologist Appointed O.B.E By Queen Elizabeth II.

Portrait Dr. Mark Wood.

Dr Mark Wood, CBM ophthalmologist in CCBRT Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania has been appointed an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to ophthalmology in developing countries by Her Majesty the Queen.

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New Eye Clinic For 10,000 Patients Per Year In Ethiopia

Guests of honour sit in the first rank among a tent to protect them against the sun.

In February, CBM inaugurated a new eye clinic in Debre Markos, Ethiopia. Over 1.2 million people in Ehtiopia are blind due to poverty-related diseases, malnutrition, poor access to clean water and medical services.

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55 New Houses in Kudawella

View of a red house made of brick, with a steep roof, white windows and two inhabitants.

A reason to celebrate: End of April 2006, after a construction period of eight months, the village of "Navadivipurawara" was handed over in a festive ceremony to its inhabitants.

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Accessibility Manifesto Handed Over To Filipino President Gloria M. Arroyo

The photo shows Ariel Lim (Presidential Adviser on Public Transport), Ric Lee (Deputy Executive Director of National Council for the Welfare of Disabled People), H.E. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Congresswoman Lilia Rosa, Mike Davies, Jerome Zayas, and people with disabilities at the ceremony for handing over the manifesto on accessible public transport to the President.

After considerable networking, on 17 July 2007 an accessibility manifesto, signed by all stakeholders of public transport, was handed over to the President of the Philippines, H.E. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

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International Day of Persons with Disabilities: 'Dignity and Justice for all' in implementing UN Convention on Persons with Disabilities

3 December is International Day of Persons with Disabilities, a yearly focus on the rights of 650 million Persons with Disabilities living in our world. This year, the day will be used to call for the fair implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, to ensure dignity and justice for all.

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The End of Charity – UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities Adopted

Inclusive education in Coimbatore /India: Blind Indian boy Karthik (11 years old, center) in the class room among his classmates.

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has been adopted in New York on Saturday, 26 August 2006 by the United Nations Ad Hoc Committee working on the treaty. CBM has worked hard to contribute to this success.

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Glaucoma, the 'silent blinding disease'

Glaucoma is the second most common cause of blindness worldwide after cataracts, with approximately 4.5 million persons globally blind due to glaucoma.

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Blind Marathon Runner Finishes 134th In A Field of 37,000 In NY Marathon

Henry Wanyoike and a guide running along applauding spectators.

With a time of 2:40:14, Henry Wanyoike was the first blind runner across the line at the New York City Marathon on Sunday Nov. 5th. In 1999, the exceptional runner from Kenya had taken part in a CBM-supported programme at Kikuyu Eye Hospital.

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Festival celebrates contribution of Persons with Disabilities

The 6th annual 'Liberty' festival celebrated the contribution of Persons with Disability to society through the medium of art and culture. The festival is fully-accessible and supported by the Greater London Authority.

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International Deaf Awareness Week

The purpose of Deaf Awareness Week is to draw attention to deaf people, their accomplishments and their issues. During this week, many deaf organisations hold activities and campaign with information to educate people about deafness.

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CBM conducts first Training of Trainers Workshop on Accessibility

Participants in CBM SARO(S)‘s Accessibility training of trainers workshop experience walking with a cane while blindfold or using crutches. Photo: CBM

CBM’s SARO(S) Regional Office has conducted CBM’s first Training of Trainers (TOT) workshop on Accessibility. The training, held from 1st to 3rd February 2009 at Mobility India in Bangalore, will ensure that more resource people are available to train others in inclusive and barrier-free environments.

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CBM supports Chinese Paralympic athletes at Beijing ceremony

Mens T11 5000 metre race at the Beijing Paralympics. CBM goodwill anmbassador Henry Wanyoike won the Bronze medal.

CBM has partnered with the China Disabled Persons’ Federation to pledge its support for Chinese athletes taking part in the Paralympic Games of the XXIX Olympiad. To read our Beijing blog, click on the following link

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WHO Aims To Eliminate Blindness From Trachoma By 2020

Pouring medicine from a tube to the eye of a Massai woman.

The WHO-initiative GET 2020 has contributed to major progress in the elimination of blindness caused by trachoma: According to estimates, 84 million people worldwide suffer from trachoma today, in 1985, the figure was about 360 million people.

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CBM active in post-emergency phase on the ground in Haiti

Washline had a femur fracture treated with an internal fixator and still needs crutches to walk. Port-au-Prince after the earthquake which hit Haiti on 12 January 2010.

CBM has raised more than two million EUR for Haiti's Emergency response and reconstruction programmes. The situation in the Haitian capital remains tough for persons with disabilities. Photo: CBM

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CBM supports Partner in Concepción, Chile

A collapsed building in Talca, approximately 300 km (186 miles) south of Santiago, Chile. A magnitude-8.8 earthquake struck the Latin American country in the early hours of February 27, 2010. Picture copyright: Reuters/Victor Ruiz Caballero, courtesy www.alertnet.org

Picture copyright: Reuters/Victor Ruiz Caballero, courtesy www.alertnet.org
Following the 8.8-magnitude earthquake with epicentre close to the Chilean city of Concepción and aftershocks, CBM will support its Partner in the region. CBM has one Partner Project in need of reconstruction, located in Concepción, the country's second largest city.

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Projects worldwide

Projects worldwide