You can find answers to some of our most frequently asked questions below. If you can’t find the answer you’re looking for, feel free to get in touch with our friendly team.
Our mission is to break the cycle of poverty and disability. We work to remove disabling barriers so that people with disabilities can thrive. At a community level, we work with local partner organisations to provide direct support to people with disabilities.
We do this by treating medical conditions and providing assistive devices and skills training so that people with disabilities can earn a living. At a regional level, we support people with disabilities to take leading roles in advocating for their needs and participating in decision-making processes. At a systems level, we call for change and work to create a more inclusive world. And we do all of this in partnership with Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs).
People with disabilities are amongst the most impacted by climate change. Because of this, we make sure that disability stays on the agenda in discussions about climate change mitigation, disaster preparedness and sustainability. And because people with disabilities are more vulnerable in disaster situations, we provide targeted support through our humanitarian aid response. That way, everyone who needs urgent help is reached.
Our vision is an inclusive world in which all people with disabilities enjoy their human rights and achieve their full potential.
The difference we make matters. It’s the difference between a child struggling at school because they can’t see clearly, and a child learning without limits. It’s the difference between someone being left out because of a disability, and someone leading in their community or business. It’s the difference between people being overlooked, and everyone’s needs being included and valued.
Yes, we can ringfence funding for projects in specific countries, or for work in specific fields. For example, if you wish to support beneficiaries in Zimbabwe, or fund our work to prevent sight loss, this can be arranged.
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CBM understands that local partners are best placed to identify the needs of their communities. That’s why all our projects are co-designed with local people and supported by research, data and due diligence. In line with our Partnership Principles, we aim to support and amplify the voices of people with disabilities locally and globally. This doesn’t mean speaking for them, but in line with the principle “nothing about us without us”. Read more about how we work.
Because CBM is a global network, we can offer specialist support to our local partners, as well as the resources needed to sustain projects over several years. Our Technical Support and Advocacy teams offer guidance and expertise in eye health care and disability inclusion, which brings together experience from diverse regions and contexts.
Our projects are also carefully monitored, so that we respond to emerging issue with agility and learn as we go. Quarterly reviews and independent evaluations help us to keep track of our impact.
The best way to assess the effectiveness of our interventions is to listen to the people involved. We invite project participants to feed back to us, and their views inform the development of future projects.
Our mission to break the cycle of poverty and disability aligns with several of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, including:
SDGs 1: No poverty and 8: Decent work and economic growth
CBM’ s mission is to break the cycle of poverty and disability. By ensuring that people with disabilities access education and opportunities to make a living, CBM promotes their long-term economic wellbeing. Developing a livelihood is great way for people with disabilities to gain confidence and social status as well as an income.
SDG 3: Good health and well-being
By meeting people’s access needs – through assistive devices, eye health care and inclusive practice – our projects improve health and well-being for everyone. Encouraging people to seek care and making inclusion the norm benefits the whole community.
SDGs 4: Quality education; 5: Gender inequality and 10: Reduced inequalities
CBM’s rights-based approach to disability inclusion recognises that people with disabilities may face multiple and overlapping forms of marginalisation, including on the basis of gender and other characteristics.
We train our staff and partners in inclusive practice, equipping them to identify and challenge discrimination in all its forms, and to break down the barriers that prevent people from being fully included.
CBM recognises that disability, gender and climate change are cross-cutting issues affecting progress towards all the SDGs – especially within remote and rural communities, where underserved communities risk being left behind. Our work with people with disabilities living in some of the world’s most marginalised communities is an example of ‘reaching the farthest first’.
If your Trust or Foundation would like to know more about working together to support people with disabilities living in some of the world’s poorest places, get in touch with us at: trusts@cbmuk.org.uk
CBM welcomes donations of all sizes. Whilst our institutional and major donors provide significant support for specific projects, the generosity of many of our smaller funders is essential to ensure that resources go where they are most needed.
CBM UK is part of a global federation that shares the same mission to build a more inclusive world. Together with CBM teams in Ireland, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand and Kenya, we raise funds to support projects around the world. By collaborating in this way, we share risks, reduce dependency upon any one region, and draw upon the knowledge and expertise of people from across the globe.
CBM’s most recently audited Annual Accounts are available on the Charity Commission website and can be downloaded here: Where your money goes | CBM UK
CBM has a number of policies including:
- Ethical Fundraising Policy
- Safeguarding Policy
- Anti-bribery Policy
- Anti-fraud Policy
- EDI Policy
- GDPR Policy
- Environmental Policy
There’s an African proverb, ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go further, go together.’
CBM UK is an independent charity, but we work closely with the following networks and organisations to help us achieve our mission:
- BOND including the Disability Development Group
- The Scottish International Development Alliance
- International Disability Development Consortium (IDDC)
- International Agency for Prevention of Blindness (IAPB)
- IASC Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS)
- ADD CHS Alliance
- Climate Action Network UK
- Catalyst Now Mental Health Group
- Global Mental Health Action Network
- Core member of the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) External Disability Board (EDB)
We also work closely with Organisations of Persons with Disabilities at a regional, national and international level.
CBM UK is an international development charity, and our Board and team include people with and without disabilities. Together, we promote alliances with people with disabilities everywhere, taking a rights-based approach to disability inclusion.
Our online resource library provides an overview of our work in specific fields, including our eye health project in Malawi and our work towards making education more accessible for girls in Zimbabwe.
Yes – CBM is rooted in Christian values. Today, we work together with people of all faiths and none, because we believe that every person with disability – no matter where they live in the world – should have access to healthcare, education and the opportunity to earn a living. This is our way of putting God’s love into action by transforming the lives of people who are all too often left behind.
Many of our supporters like to pray for the people we help around the world. You can order our Prayer Diary here: Pray to Support and Help our Charity | CBM UK
Learn more about our work
Where your money goes
The generosity of our supporters is the backbone of our organisation. Your donations make life-changing work happen in some of the world’s poorest places.
Stories
Meet some of the incredible people your support has made a lasting difference to.
Where we work
CBM UK works alongside people with disabilities in some of the world’s poorest places, bringing change where it is needed most.