Discover how your support made a difference to millions of lives last year.
For more information about our finances and how your money has helped transform lives, you can download our Annual Report and Accounts.
A message from our Chief Executive
I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who supports our work – for your continued commitment to CBM UK and to people with disabilities around the world. In the face of increasing global challenges, your compassion, generosity and determination are helping to drive real and lasting change for those most affected by cuts to international aid, climate crises and deepening inequality.
Your support – through donations, church communities, prayer and gifts in Wills – makes our work possible. Together, we are transforming lives by improving access to healthcare, education and sustainable livelihoods, and by delivering vital humanitarian support. By working closely with local partners, we are ensuring that this change is not only meaningful but lasting.
It was a great honour to be appointed OBE, but this recognition belongs to you, our partners and the communities we serve. It reflects a shared commitment to breaking down barriers and building a more inclusive world.
Thank you for standing alongside people with disabilities. I look forward to all we will achieve together.
Kirsty Smith OBE
Our work and impact
We provide healthcare and practical support for people with disabilities, their families and communities. We deliver sight‑saving surgeries, train doctors and healthcare workers, support children with disabilities to go to school, and so much more. Last year, we reached 1,383,163 people, including:
829,605 people treated for blinding diseases, with thousands able to see again.
34,443 people screened for mental health conditions or supported to access mental health services.
32,105 people supported with financial support, training or equipment to build and sustain their livelihoods.
23,177 people reached with life-saving support in emergency situations, such as cyclones and floods.
3,905 children given the opportunity to go to school and build brighter futures.
Project highlights
Financial Autonomy of Persons with Disabilities through Agriculture
We were proud to launch our new project: Financial Autonomy of Persons with Disabilities through Agriculture (FAIDA) – a four-year initiative aimed at enhancing financial inclusion for people with disabilities in Chitwan District, Nepal.
Thanks to funding from Jersey Overseas Aid, the project is already making a difference. 98 self-help groups for people with disabilities and their family members have been formed, with many receiving training on basic financial literacy. These groups now have a total of 1,482 members, including 991 people with disabilities.
Light up Lives
In 2021, CBM UK’s Light up Lives appeal raised over £1 million in donations from UK supporters. This amount was matched by the UK government, bringing the total to £2.3 million. The project has enabled CBM UK to address critical eye health needs in Midlands Province, Zimbabwe, and restore sight to thousands of people who had been living needlessly blind.
Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, together we have:
- screened 54,101 people for eye health issues
- carried out 2,557 cataract surgeries
- provided glasses to 2,166 people
- shared eye health messages with over 8 million people
Climate resilience
Kenya has experienced repeated droughts and increasingly erratic rainfall due to climate change, leaving millions of people facing severe hunger and increasing the risk of crop failure, flooding and mudslides in mountainous regions.
In Bungoma County, we have been working in partnership with the Red Cross to support those most at risk. Over the past three years, together we have:
- equipped 147 climate change champions with in-depth knowledge of climate change
- reached over 12,000 people with training on climate action through these champions
- provided 1,611 people with seed capital to start and scale businesses
- supported 277 people to access assistive devices such as white canes and wheelchairs.
Tsiry’s story
When Tsiry was three, his mother knew something wasn’t right. His eyes wouldn’t focus, and he struggled to keep his balance.
Glasses helped – but his family couldn’t afford to replace them as often as needed. At school, Tsiry was singled out. Other children teased him. Even adults turned away.
“People would stare at us in the street,” his mother told us. “It made me sad to see my son being teased. He didn’t even want to play with the other children anymore.”
Everything changed when Tsiry’s parents found an inclusive school, part of CBM’s MAHAY Inclusive Education Project in Madagascar.
Tsiry received eye care and a pair of new glasses, and thanks to CBM supporters, he is now in a school where he is supported, included and believed in.
Where your money goes
Last year, thanks to the commitment and generosity of our supporters:
£6,523,632
was raised through supporters and grants
£6,021,327
spent on delivering our life-changing programmes
£1,602,028
spent on raising funds to deliver our life-changing programmes
Download our impact report
Discover how your support is changing lives in our latest Impact Report.
Previous Annual Reports and Accounts
For more information about our finances and how your money has transformed lives, you can download our Annual Report and Accounts. CBM UK’s financial year runs from 1st January until 31st December.
Annual Report 2025
(PDF 4.42mb)
Annual Report 2024
(PDF 1.95mb)
Annual Report 2023
(PDF 1.72mb)
Annual Report 2022
(PDF 2.09mb)
Annual Report 2020-21
(PDF 2.12mb)
Annual Report 2019-20
(PDF 2.72mb)
“One in eight people around the world live with sight loss – but here’s the shocking truth: 90% of it could have been prevented or treated with something as straightforward as a cataract surgery or a pair of glasses. That’s why I’m a passionate supporter of CBM UK. Every day, they’re restoring sight and creating a clearer, brighter future for millions.”
Gyles Brandreth, author, broadcaster and
long-time CBM supporter.
Other ways to get involved
Leave a gift in your Will
Gifts in Wills fund a third of our work, and we are incredibly grateful to those who choose to support us in this meaningful way.
Involve your church
Through prayer, fundraising together, or raising awareness, your church’s involvement can make a lasting impact.
Fundraise for us
From hosting sponsored walks, runs, and bake sales to creating your own unique challenges, we have lots of advice to get you started.
Where we work
CBM works alongside people with disabilities in some of the world’s poorest places, bringing change where it is needed most. Together with fantastic local partners, and as part of a global federation, we are working in 26 countries to break the cycle of poverty and disability.
