Christian Blind Mission
Encyclopedia
The Christian Blind Mission (CBM) is a Christian
humanitarian organization aiming to improve the lives of people with disabilities
. It considered one of the world's oldest and largest religious organization serving the blind and disabled. CBM was founded in 1908 by the German
pastor
Ernst Jakob Christoffel, who built homes for blind
children, orphan
s, physically disabled, and deaf persons in Turkey
and Iran
.
Initially CBM's efforts were focused on preventing and curing blindness
but now cover other causes of disability. CBM also runs education
and rehabilitation
programs for people with disabilities. CBM, by its declaration, supports more than 1,000 projects in 113 countries, and tends to give related assistance regardless of religion, nationality, race, or gender.
It works with different mission agencies, local churches, self-help groups and relief agencies and has (as of 2009) nine member associations in Europe, North America and Oceania.
Since 2004 the Austrian member organisation works as an independent organisation LIGHT FOR THE WORLD (LICHT FÜR DIE WELT), 2009 the Belgian organisation followed them and is now also part of Light for the World
.
Over the time of its existence, CBM’s policy has developed from serving blind people to giving other people with disabilities access to basic healthcare services. According to conservative estimates, there are 400 million people with disabilities in the world - other figures talk of 600 million people. Most of them live in developing countries. CBM, by its own estimation, covers about 3% (target population of 18 million) of all disabled people with its programmes.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
humanitarian organization aiming to improve the lives of people with disabilities
Disability
A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
. It considered one of the world's oldest and largest religious organization serving the blind and disabled. CBM was founded in 1908 by the German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
Ernst Jakob Christoffel, who built homes for blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
children, orphan
Orphan
An orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...
s, physically disabled, and deaf persons in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
.
Initially CBM's efforts were focused on preventing and curing blindness
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
but now cover other causes of disability. CBM also runs education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
and rehabilitation
Physical therapy
Physical therapy , often abbreviated PT, is a health care profession. Physical therapy is concerned with identifying and maximizing quality of life and movement potential within the spheres of promotion, prevention, diagnosis, treatment/intervention,and rehabilitation...
programs for people with disabilities. CBM, by its declaration, supports more than 1,000 projects in 113 countries, and tends to give related assistance regardless of religion, nationality, race, or gender.
It works with different mission agencies, local churches, self-help groups and relief agencies and has (as of 2009) nine member associations in Europe, North America and Oceania.
Since 2004 the Austrian member organisation works as an independent organisation LIGHT FOR THE WORLD (LICHT FÜR DIE WELT), 2009 the Belgian organisation followed them and is now also part of Light for the World
Light for the World
Light for the World is a European confederation of national development NGOs committed saving eyesight, improving the quality of life and advocating for the rights of person with disabilities in the underprivileged regions of our world – irrespective of gender, origin, ethnic descent or...
.
Over the time of its existence, CBM’s policy has developed from serving blind people to giving other people with disabilities access to basic healthcare services. According to conservative estimates, there are 400 million people with disabilities in the world - other figures talk of 600 million people. Most of them live in developing countries. CBM, by its own estimation, covers about 3% (target population of 18 million) of all disabled people with its programmes.