February 2011

Returning from a recent trip to Haiti, I reflect on both the Haitian resilience and the uphill battle that lies ahead. A year after the devastating earthquake that shattered so many lives and shook this already troubled country, it still is hard to look at the rubble, collapsed buildings and tent camps. The images of an area so totally and horrifically destroyed are difficult to see and describe, even a year later. 

As my aircraft approached Port Au Prince I felt a sudden sadness. My last trip to Haiti was before the earthquake, and I didn’t know if I was prepared for the devastation and the impact on people’s lives. As we filed into the immigration hall, however, a cheery Haitian band was playing. The Haitian spirit is alive and well, though the subsequent drive through town to the CBM office showed the first taste of the grimness of the situation.  

The earthquake itself killed about 230,000 people, left about 300,000 with disabling conditions and displaced millions. It decimated government agencies and services.  Then the cholera epidemic struck, which has killed more than 3,000 people and, more recently, the government elections were disputed and political riots erupted. It’s just one thing after another. 

I wonder when the Haitians will ever get a break. They’ve experienced much despair and destruction. The government, local and international organizations are trying hard to make progress, and CBM is supporting an incredible array of work. 

Despite the tragedies they have encountered, the Haitians are wonderful people with great spirits. There are thousands of local people working hard under stressful situations with little resources to do what they can to put their country back together and to help their fellow citizens. The local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), many of which were destroyed and had to rebuild themselves after the quake, have continued to provide services for children and adults with disabilities. 

The CBM-country coordinating office is doing a fantastic job providing support to partners on the ground and helping Haitians make great strides under difficult situations. CBM’s office in Haiti is staffed with an excellent team of individuals. It is, as always, a pleasure to meet the competent and caring people that make up our expatriate and local staff in our different offices around the world.   

Following the initial emergency response phase, CBM and its partners formulated a strategic plan for moving from the relief stage to development and working to make sure that plans and projects will lead toward good redevelopment in Haiti, specifically for people with disabilities. CBM’s focus turned to five core areas:  health care, inclusive education and child protection, advocacy and accessibility, Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) and disaster preparedness. 

Out of the rubble, Haiti can become a better place than it was before the quake. We are helping that happen by working closely with numerous Haitian Disabled People Organizations (DPOs) and the State Secretariat for the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities on an advocacy project to advise and ensure that rebuilding efforts are accessible to people with disabilities. For example, while in Haiti I attended an education workshop that brought together government officials, special education and regular education agencies, the Disabled People’s Federation, and other partners to map out a viable plan to ensure that children with disabilities go to school. 

CBM also is working directly with our partners to ensure that the needs of children and adults with disabilities are met through medical services, rehabilitation services, education and child friendly spaces in slums and tent camps. A year later, more than 1 million Haitians remain displaced as a result of the earthquake. 

Life was difficult in Haiti before the earthquake and it is more difficult now…many children lost one or both of their parents, people with disabilities are neglected then are often forgotten about, tens of thousands of people injured during the earthquake face a long road to recovery, and many have become disabled due to the lack of proper healthcare following their injuries. 

Returning to the United States from my recent trip to Haiti, I am still troubled by all that remains to be done. Millions are still displaced; more than 90 percent of the rubble still needs to be cleared, and basic services still need to be restored.  However, I am hopeful at the progress that has been made. I am hopeful of the  commitment of so many people and organizations to transform Haiti into an inclusive society--where all people have equal rights and are empowered to improve the lives of their families and communities, including people with disabilities.  

Together with our Haitian partners we are working hard. Your support and partnership is critical to the ongoing progress in Haiti and in other troubled areas around the world. 

CBM is committed to Haiti for the long-term. We have been in Haiti for more than 30 years, and we will be there for the years to come to support persons with disabilities, making sure their needs are met and ensuring their voices are heard in decision making about Haiti’s future. 

 By: Karen Heinicke-Mostch, Director of International Programs for CBM-US

November 2010

This month, all of us at CBM continue to celebrate a remarkable milestone: the performance of the 10 millionth CBM-supported cataract surgery, an unprecedented accomplishment. On October 28, at a hospital in Moshi, Tanzania, Joyce Kayaa symbolically became the 10 millionth person to undergo the 20 minute operation, an operation that would undo heartache and sacrifice.

Watch our video about Elysee's cataract surgery in the Congo

Since our first cataract-surgery in Afghanistan more than 40 years ago, we have emerged as a world leader in the global fight to end preventable blindness. But the harsh fact is that there are approximately 18 million people worldwide who are blind from cataracts, the leading cause of low vision and blindness. And, each year, more than a million more go blind due to cataracts. This leads to devastating economic and quality of life effects on people who are already living in extreme poverty. Their chances of physical survival drastically spiral downward. In fact, in the developing world, more than half of the children who go blind will die within two years, according to the World Health Organization.

That’s why CBM’s goal is to reduce curable blindness even further. Yet our focus isn’t just on numbers but on each and every person whose fate we can change. People like Joyce.

One of Ten Million

Nine months ago, Joyce’s quality of life began to suffer as her vision grew increasingly worse. Each day, she became more dependent upon the help of family members. Before long, she could no longer dress herself or read from her Bible. Taking care of the livestock she owned was not only difficult, it was dangerous. When she accidentally injured a cow with a knife she couldn’t see hidden in the grass, it became clear that Joyce needed full-time assistance.

Though her family stepped in to help, they did so at a high cost. Her son gave up his training to become a gardener, and her niece quit her job. This loss of income stressed the family’s finances.

Yet just when Joyce had almost given up hope, she was screened by CBM health-workers who gave her incredible news: she had cataracts, and there was a simple surgery that would restore her sight.

Today, Joyce is recovering and looking forward to doing the things she once loved, especially reading from her Bible. What’s more, her son can continue his training, and her niece can return to work. They too have benefited from Joyce’s surgery.

When I think about Joyce and the millions more whose lives have been transformed, I am so thankful for the CBM donors who have made this remarkable milestone possible. Currently, CBM supports about 200 eye hospitals and eye departments worldwide. Because of our intervention—made possible by the generosity of our faithful donors—a blind person can see again every minute. This is truly something to be proud of!

With a gift of $35, you can give the gift of sight to someone with cataracts. Yet beyond surgery, your gift provides so much more. In fact, of the 10 million surgeries we’ve performed through the years, there are millions more whose lives have been dramatically improved.

I hope that you will take a moment now and join us in our continuing efforts to bring sight and renewed life to the millions of people suffering from preventable blindness. Together, we can make a profound difference.

October 2010

Countdown to 10 Million Now Seeing, Hoping, and Dreaming

By Ron Nabors, CEO, CBM-US  

As I write to you this month, I’d like to ask that you join with us as we prepare to celebrate a remarkable milestone: the performance of the 10 millionth CBM-supported cataract surgery! Made possible by the generous ongoing support of CBM donors, this is an unprecedented accomplishment by any other organization in the world.

Together with our CBM partners around the world, we’re keeping a close watch as we move ever closer to the 10 millionth surgery. In fact, the more than 675,000 surgeries we performed last year  combined with those we’ve performed already in 2010 have put us right on track to reach 10 million by the end of October.

Since the first CBM-supported cataract surgery in Afghanistan in 1966, we have become a leader in the global fight to end preventable blindness. What’s even more amazing is that this fight, which helps millions of people around the world who are blind from cataracts, begins with as little as $35—the average cost of a cataract surgery for an adult in the developing world. Surgery for children with cataracts may cost as much as $200 due to general anesthesia needs. Yet the impact this surgery has is truly priceless.

Each year, more than a million people will go blind as the result of cataracts. For people who are already living in extreme poverty, cataracts drastically affect their quality of life. Now, these people who are on the edge of survival, face the loss of education, the ability to support themselves, and lack of acceptance within their communities. What’s more, their life expectancy drops substantially.

Bahati, a little boy in Tanzania, could have been just another statistic if not for CBM’s help.

His mother, Evelyn, first noticed that he had a problem when he began spending much of his time in the shade. Whenever Bahati went out into the sunlight, he had difficulty seeing. It was only when he started attending school, however, that Evelyn learned the terrible truth: Bahati was almost completely blind.

Often, he would return home from school covered in cuts from thorn bushes because he couldn’t see well enough to walk by himself. Soon, he was forced to quit school entirely. To make matters worse, Bahati couldn’t see well enough to help his family in the fields either. Once, he even threatened their meager livelihood when he cut the good maize, having mistaken it for weeds.

Thankfully, Evelyn heard about a small health station close to her village. The clinic referred Bahati to the CBM-supported Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation in Tanzania (CCBRT) hospital in Dar es Salaam. CCBRT arranged for Bahati and his mother to travel to the hospital where he would have sight-restoring cataract surgery.

Today, Bahati’s life has been completely transformed. Evelyn tells us, “Bahati is behaving much differently now. He’s much happier playing. Now, he can go back to school and can help out in the fields.”

CBM-supported surgery freed Bahati from a lifetime of hardship and provided him with the opportunity to achieve an education. This is one vitally important step in helping Bahati, his village, and his country break the poverty/disability cycle. Poverty and disability are intrinsic in the developing world. People with disabilities and their families are more likely to live in extreme poverty. Likewise, people who live in poverty are much more likely to become disabled.

That’s why I’d like you to know that your gift does more than restore vision. It actually restores lives and helps to break the devastating cycle of disability and poverty.

On behalf of Bahati, the almost 10 million people who’ve received sight-restoring cataract surgery, and the millions more whose lives have been changed for the better as a result, I’d like to ask you to Join CBM  (www.cbmus.org)in counting down to this remarkable milestone and in the fight against preventable blindness.

In the developing world, more than

half the children who go blind will

die within two years.

- World Health Organization.

  

                            

 

July 2010

Every year, CBM compiles a comprehensive report of achievements from the previous 12 months. This year, as I read through this lengthy document, I could not help but be immensely proud of our work. In light of last year’s recession and financial uncertainty, we were challenged with the seemingly insurmountable task of providing critical services to more than 23.7 million people—a substantial increase from 2008. Yet despite the bad economic times facing our country last year, which resulted in lower income for CBM, we did not have to make the difficult decision to stop funding critical projects in the developing world. This was truly an amazing accomplishment—an accomplishment made possible through the ongoing generous support of investors like you, coupled with a short-term reduction in some of our own key infrastructure expenses, such as not filling open staff positions. Among our many successes in 2009 are:

· +920,000 eye operations were performed.

· +380,000 people received Vitamin A tablets.

· +1.1 million eyeglasses were dispensed.

· +165,000 people were enrolled in empowerment activities including self-help groups

· +64,000 children were enrolled in education programs.

· +675,000 people have had their sight restored through a cataract operation.

· +480,000 received medical treatment for hearing problems.

· +17,000 hearing aids were distributed.

· +96,000 people received support through CBM’s Community Mental Health programs.

· +66,000 people benefited from vocational training and employment programs.

· +2,600 doctors and more than 3,100 nurses/assistants received critical medical training.

· +16,000 teachers learned how to fully include children with disabilities in the classroom.

When we look at these statistics, we must not forget that behind these numbers are real people—men, women, and children who desperately need our help. Children like Hans.

Tucked deep inside the vast slums of northern Lima, Peru, amid endless rows of ramshackle houses, filth and trash, Hans lives with his family. Born with Cerebral Palsy, or CP, a group of chronic conditions affecting body movement, muscle coordination, and often mental capacity, Hans spent most of his days in isolation, lying in a simple plastic tub watching.

Having a child with a disability makes life for families already existing in extreme conditions of poverty even more difficult. With few resources, Hans’ parents did not know what to do to help him. The harsh truth is that people living with disabilities in the poorest countries of the world have little access to rehabilitation and other services. In fact, 98 percent of children with disabilities in the developing world do not attend school. The mortality rate for these children under the age of 5—like Hans—is as high as 80 percent.

Yet in just a short amount of time, Hans’ life has completely transformed. One of CBM’s Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) workers found him and began at-home physical therapy sessions. She enrolled him in a local preschool, and with the assistance of a special chair provided by CBM, Hans now sits upright at the table with the other school children. This child, who could once do little more than lie on the floor, now is considered the brightest in his class.

Hans is one of the more than 23 million people with disabilities annually whose lives have been changed for the better thanks to the generous gifts of CBM supporters. I’d like to ask you to take a few moments to review what we accomplished this year (LINK). Here, you’ll find other inspiring stories and view real evidence of the monumental impact your investment with CBM can make.

 

 

November 2009

Much of my life is spent traveling (in a car, in a plane, to meet with someone to discuss CBM and our outreach). Sometimes the simple task of stopping and taking a moment becomes a luxury in a fast-paced life filled to the brim with work and very little play. The holidays—and Thanksgiving in particular—are an opportunity where we get to see family and friends and enjoy some fellowship and moments together. A nice meal together with some familiar dishes provides comfort and familiarity, and yes, even causes us to have to slow down for a few moments.

A couple years ago, I had to slow down for several weeks after undergoing cataract surgery. My eyes sore from surgery, I had to regroup. Among other things, the surgery gave me a first-hand appreciation for what life is like for someone who has cataracts and the quality difference after a surgical intervention. The world opens its arms to you when you can see it….and all your other senses come alive again as well. Food tastes better…you can smell more, hear more, and of course, see more.

Reading about a family whose three children—Gabriel, Daniel and Esther—were born with cataracts and their struggles reminded me of my own brief encounter with the devastation that cataracts can bring.

However, I can’t imagine what it would be like to be born with cataracts and unable to see from birth. The children that Esther and Titus raised required help eating, getting to school and even simple tasks like getting dressed.  They were tormented by other children who teased them for their inability to play soccer. Beaten by elders who thought them disobedient for not picking up things at their command.

Until CBM intervened, these three children had a very bleak future ahead. And without the continuing support from generous donors and compassionate people like you, we wouldn’t be able to fund the eye hospital in Nairobi where this family received their surgery, or any of the hundreds of CBM-supported medical treatment facilities around the world.

As we give thanks during this holiday season for all the blessings we have and are yet to receive, please consider a way to create a real and lasting impact on another individual or family. Give the gift of sight to a child like Gabriel, Daniel or Esther today.

October 2009

During my first World Sight Day celebration in our headquarters location of Greenville, we did something that has stayed with me over the years.

We blindfolded a group of students from Sara Collins Elementary. And then we served them lunch.

We could have gone easy on them and served finger foods. Instead, we gave them utensils and served tossed salad and lasagna from a local restaurant.

The point of the exercise was to share the experience of what it’s like for a child who is blind to do something as basic as eating lunch. Trying to maneuver the drink, find the dressing for your salad, figure out exactly what you’re eating from the smell and the taste rather than from glancing down at it.

In this case, the lucky group of students had teachers hovering nearby to help them. After about 10 minutes, we invited the kids to take off their red CBM blindfolds and finish their lunches as they typically would.

That’s when something unexpected happened. The girls and boys who had struggled to eat with their blindfolds told us they wanted to put them back on and finish their lunch.

I want to challenge you to try and eat one meal in darkness this month to commemorate World Sight Day. You will likely need a little help, but embrace the spirit of the challenge and see if you can do as well as some of our students did.

Blindness remains a worldwide health crisis in developing countries. Every five seconds someone in our world goes blind but 75% of blindness is treatable, curable or preventable.  For more than 100 years, CBM has committed resources to helping those who are blind, preventing blindness and reversing it. World Sight Day gives us an excuse to talk about the work that goes on every day—and to challenge our supporters to walk a mile in someone else’s reality, even if it’s just for one meal.

(Editor’s Note: If you take the CBM challenge, we want to hear about your experience having a meal blindfolded. Please email us at info@cbmus.org or call us at 864.295.0095)