CBM is an international Christian disability and development organisation that transforms the lives of people with disability, their families and communities in the poorest places of the world. Our Vision is an inclusive world in which all people with disabilities enjoy their human rights and achieve their full potential.
People living in poverty with disability are the world’s poorest people. So if we’re going to end poverty, we can’t ignore disability. Disability is very common in developing countries and 15 per cent of the world’s entire population, or 1 billion people, live with a disability. People with disabilities are among the poorest in any community, so if we’re going to address poverty we must include people with disabilities.
CBM works with local partners to enable people with disabilities or at risk of disability to access healthcare and education, build sustainable livelihoods and play an active role in their community. We also ensure that disabled people and their families can access emergency relief during times of conflict or natural disaster. In 2014, CBM helped more than 32 million people with disabilities or at risk of disability, through 672 projects in 60 countries.
CBM draws on 100 years’ experience of working with people with disabilities. In 1908, German pastor Ernst Christoffel founded CBM (Christian Blind Mission) in Turkey with the opening of a home for children who were blind and orphaned. From these small beginnings, CBM is now the world’s leading organisation tackling disability across developing countries. Christoffel built CBM on core values such as Christianity, internationalism, professionalism, stewardship, honest communication and inclusion – all values we’re committed to today. In 2007, we changed our name from 'Christian Blind Mission' to 'CBM' to reflect the fact that CBM works with people living with all types of disability, not just blindness.
Last year, our supporters enabled us to change the lives of thousands of people with disabilities. Here you can read just a few of their stories.