Christian Blind Mission

The Missionary Society of Christian Blind Mission ( CBM ) is an ( 1876-1955 ), founded in development aid organization in 1908 by Ernst Jakob Christoffel. It has set itself the goal to fight on the basis of Christian values ​​to improving the lives of blind, deaf, mentally and physically disabled people and wants to have a preventive effect. The headquarters of the CBM Germany is in Bensheim, a branch is located in Berlin. The CBM Switzerland is based in Zurich. From the World Health Organization, the CBM is recognized as a professional organization and has consultant status at the United Nations.

The Christian Blind Mission International ( CBMI ) is the internationally active umbrella organization of CBM; you belong to other member clubs from Australia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Canada, Kenya, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States. Together they promote 714 projects in 73 countries (2012 ).

Activity

The Christian Blind Mission Germany eV is one of the 20 largest aid organizations in Germany. In 2012 she funded by donations worldwide development aid projects worth 35.9 million euros. In Germany, the CBM operates to educate people about the impact of visual impairment and blindness, the opportunity for prevention and the relationship between poverty and disability. The organization has since 1993, the Seal of Approval of the German Central Institute for Social Issues (DZI ). She is also a signatory to the initiative Transparent civil society.

Focus of work

  • Blindness prevention: In developing countries, the living conditions lead to an up to 10 -fold higher risk of blindness due to water and vitamin deficiency and poor hygienic conditions. In dry areas lead by flying transmitted bacterial infection to blindness ( trachoma ). The CBM funded education and medication. It also supports projects that combat river blindness.
  • Cataract (cataract ): The CBM finances eye surgery for the treatment of cataracts in developing countries. Since 1966 a total of 10,732,374 operations were funded (as of 2011 ) (in 2012 approximately 573 502 ).
  • Improvement of living conditions: CBM supports partner organizations in developing countries. These represent people with disabilities vision aids, hearing aids, prostheses and walking aids available so that they can lead an independent life as possible. In addition, CBM employees operate health education and support people with disabilities through targeted training and technical training.

Missionary work

The organization sees itself as an interdenominational Christian relief and sees himself in the tradition of active charity. By his own admission Mission is to be done by direct Christian instruction, but no longer actively teaching, such as the time of Ernst Jakob Christoffel in mind. Nevertheless, we find the under -setting mission aspect in parts of their publications, eg regularly in the form of a short devotion. Many of the project team members are volunteers in the community work of their local church active in that they design services.

Statistical development

The number of people who received comprehensive assistance by CBM has increased between 2009 and 2010 from 23,733,094 to 25,368,199, and the following year in 2011 to 36,138,739. The donations increased in 2010 to around 2.9 million euros to nearly 42.6 million; 2011, it decreased slightly to 41.3 million, in 2012 it amounted to 42.4 million.

Prominent supporters

The CBM is supported by the following celebrities from various fields of public life:

For Germany

  • Verena Bentele, biathlete and Disability Commissioner of the Federal Government
  • Clemens Bittlinger, pastor and songwriter
  • Ivanka Brekalo, actress in theater and TV
  • Moya Brennan, singer from Ireland
  • Hannes Jaenicke, actor in film and TV
  • René Kindermann, journalist and television presenter
  • Marion Koch, dressage rider
  • Dagmar Lay D., country singer
  • Rosi Mittermeier and Christian Neureuther, skier
  • Max Müller, TV actor and singer
  • Thomas Quasthoff, bass-baritone and Grammy winner
  • Conny Reusch, pop singer
  • Regina Vollbrecht, marathon runner
  • Henry Wanyoike, marathon runner
  • Isabell Werth dressage rider
  • Joana Zimmer, singer

For Switzerland

  • Dimitri, Swiss clown
Christian ministry Aid agency Corrective lens Crutch Dimitri (Clown)
187073
de