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.

 

 

 May 2010

Special Guest Blog from Loretta Dodgen, Chairman of the Board, CBM. In February, Dodgen traveled to CBM project sites in Peru with CBM-US CEO Ron Nabors.

Before I traveled to Peru this past February, I had a heart for CBM and our vital work with the most vulnerable group of people in the world. However, it wasn’t until I visited these projects in person that I truly grasped the profound impact CBM—through donor investments—makes on lives and the breadth of the services we provide. My experience wasn’t just about people with disabilities, however, it was about CBM workers – people who have given their lives to provide support and encouragement to those who are less fortunate. Seeing their commitment and dedication was a life-altering experience for me. I was overwhelmed.

In the slums of Lima, Peru, where hundreds of thousands of families live in crushing poverty, CBM ministers to those with disabilities. In an area without running water, life is unimaginably difficult. Yet for families who have disabled children, life is more than difficult—it’s heartbreaking. Our first stop in Lima was to the home of Maria Jesus. Her father works hard to earn about $46 a week and spends almost 10 percent of his earnings on purchasing safe drinking water for the family. To make their already difficult existence even harder, their young daughter, Maria Jesus, suffers from cerebral palsy low vision, and epilepsy. With barely enough resources to provide food and shelter, Maria Jesus’ parents desperately wanted to help her, but did not know how. They feared Maria Jesus would spend her days in darkness and isolation, refusing physical touch.

However, thanks to intervention from CBM Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) workers, Maria Jesus’ life has been completely transformed. These amazing workers have provided therapy and sensory stimulation for the little girl who now loves to be held and is learning and thriving. What’s more, Maria Jesus’ parents also have found support. Her mother attends a local support group for mothers of children with disabilities and feels more confident in caring for her daughter as a result. I felt so blessed to have spent time with this family. To see this type of transformation first hand was a true testament of CBM’s life-changing work.

In addition to helping the individual, our CBR workers and international staff make an even greater impact by helping to change entire communities. Working hand in hand with local Disabled Persons Organizations (DPOs) as well as local governments, they ensure the full inclusion of people with disabilities into communities and societies. I’m both inspired and proud of the incredible dedication of our CBR workers who often travel miles away from home to serve people with disabilities living in remote communities. At times, they work in situations where their own lives are at risk, yet they go to work every day, and they go joyfully. That’s powerful work that brings about powerful change.

Now, as I lead CBM’s Board of Directors, I have taken some of the resilience and determination that I witnessed in Peru and am using it to help enhance awareness of this important organization so that we can continue to reach those who are most in need. It’s not an easy task. In fact, it’s one that requires a significant amount of determination and prayer. We as Americans are bombarded by images of suffering both within our own country and overseas. I know that these are all important causes. Yet when I’m asked why I choose to spend my time working with an organization that focuses its resources overseas, my answer is simple: in the United States, even the poorest can find access to services needed. But for people with disabilities living in the poorest countries of the world, help is nonexistent. They literally have nowhere else to turn. We have a responsibility as Christians and as citizens of the world not to ignore them. Please join in my quest to help.

April 2010

Each year on the second Sunday in May, we celebrate Mother’s Day. Already retail stores are stocked with hundred of greeting cards and not-so-subtle reminders of gift ideas for Mom. But behind the cards and flowers lie the real reason we celebrate this special day—the deep abiding love of our mothers.

Around the world, mothers work tirelessly to protect and care for their families. They are the ones who often go hungry so others can eat. They sacrifice physical comfort and even their own hopes and dreams just to provide the best possible lives for their children.

Sadly, however, there are millions of mothers around the world who struggle daily just to keep their children alive. Despite their incredible sacrifices, they remain trapped within the oppressive confines of poverty. Mothers of children with disabilities have an even more difficult time. Lack of access to education, proper nutrition, adequate medical care, and rehabilitation leaves them with nowhere to turn. Without outside intervention, not even their love is enough to save their children.

I’d like to share the story of Menia with you. She is a dedicated mother who loves her little girl, Esther, very much. When Esther was just a baby, Menia noticed that other children Esther’s age were standing, but her daughter remained limp and lifeless. As the other babies began to toddle, Esther remained immobile, staring up and off into the distance. Menia desperately hoped that Esther would improve, but she wasn’t sure how to help her.

Already, Menia was under a great deal of stress. Like other mothers of children with disabilities, Menia’s husband left her when Esther was born. As a single mother of three, she struggled to provide food and shelter. Now, with Esther’s condition, she found herself trapped in a seemingly impossible situation. No matter how much she loved her daughter, it just didn’t seem to be enough.

Thankfully, Menia found guidance through a local CBM worker in her community. Esther was diagnosed with severe “floppy” cerebral palsy and referred to a physical therapist named Wongani. She worked daily with Esther on a variety of physical exercises designed to strengthen her muscles and taught Menia how to perform these same exercises, empowering her to take care of her daughter on her own. CBM also provided a special chair for Esther, allowing her to sit upright and arranged for her to receive a wheelchair.

But that’s not all. Menia was enrolled in a support group for other mothers of children with disabilities. Here, she was not alone. She found encouragement and no longer felt the heavy confines of sadness and helplessness.

When your love joins with these mothers’ love, you help to accomplish the extraordinary. You are investing in CBM’s programs to support women and mothers of children with disabilities. Through education, rehabilitation, micro-credit opportunities, and medical intervention, you literally free them from the burden of poverty, shame, and despair.

As we celebrate Mother’s Day this year, I’d like to encourage you to reflect upon your own mother, grandmother, or other special woman in your life who has given of herself to make your life better and say a special prayer of thanksgiving for her love. And, if you’re led, I’d like to encourage you to give a gift in honor or in memory of her. Your loving partnership will empower people with disabilities worldwide.

“And now these three remain:

Faith, hope and love.

But the greatest of these is love.”

-1 Corinthians 13:13