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About CBM

CBM is an international Christian development organisation, committed to improving the quality of life of persons with disabilities in the poorest communities of the world.

The world is making progress in tackling poverty. However, persons with disabilities are left behind. One in seven of us has a disability. That is more than one billion people around the world! 80 per cent of whom live in low middle income countries.

Based on our Christian values and more than 100 years of professional expertise, we address poverty as a cause and a consequence of disability. We work in partnership to create an inclusive society for all.

The emphasis throughout our work is on local capacity development in poorer regions of the world. This increases service delivery in the fields of healthcare, education, rehabilitation and livelihood development as well as organisational development of partner organisations.

An inclusive world in which all persons with disabilities enjoy their human rights and achieve their full potential.

CBM is an international Christian development organisation, committed to improving the quality of life of persons with disabilities in the poorest countries of the world.

Based on its Christian values and over 100 years of professional expertise, CBM addresses poverty as a cause, and a consequence, of disability, and works in partnership to create a society for all.

CBM’s work is founded on the core values inherited from our founder, Pastor Ernst Jakob Christoffel.

Our core values underpin the way in which we behave and go about our purpose. They are clearly expressed through our thinking, behaviour and decision making – together, they establish our working culture.

Christianity – We aspire to follow the teachings of Jesus.
Internationalism – We are an international organisation.
Professionalism – We aim for quality in what we do.
Integrity – We are good stewards of our resources.
Communication – We communicate honestly and respectfully.
Inclusion – We promote and practise inclusion. The physical environment, legislation, communication facilities and our thinking and attitudes all have the potential to exclude and isolate individuals or groups from mainstream society. CBM will endeavour both within the organisation and externally to identify barriers, and implement solutions which lead to a more inclusive society.

CBM works in the most disadvantaged societies, irrespective of race, gender or religion. CBM seeks to:

Reduce the prevalence of diseases which cause impairments.
Minimise the conditions which lead to disability.
Promote equal opportunities for economic empowerment, livelihood security, and full inclusion in all aspects of society for persons with disabilities.

Our vision is an inclusive world in which all persons with disabilities enjoy their human rights and achieve their full potential. To realise this, we have developed our Federation-wide Strategy 2023.

While the world is making progress in tackling poverty, persons with disabilities are being left behind. CBM’s strategy is driven by stark facts:

More than one billion people globally have a disability.
80% of persons with disabilities live in developing countries.
20% of the poorest people living in developing countries have a disability.
There is a vicious cycle of disability and poverty.
An estimated 20 million persons with disabilities are currently affected by humanitarian crises.

Disability rights and inclusion are increasingly being recognised as a priority and included in global frameworks and agreements. CBM is committed to supporting persons with disabilities to break the vicious cycle of poverty, disability and exclusion, and to realise their rights as enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

While the CBM name is no longer an acronym, it is a reminder of our beginnings. Formerly known as Christoffel-Blindenmission (“Christian Blind Mission”), today the CBM name pays tribute to our German founder Ernst J. Christoffel.

Pastor Ernst J. Christoffel, born in 1876 in Rheydt/Rhineland, Germany, was CBM’s founder and director for many years. Ernst Christoffel laid the foundations for CBM as a modern organisation working together with Partners to serve persons with disabilities.

The Beginning: Turkey
In 1908, Christoffel set out for Turkey and founded a home in Malatia for blind and otherwise disabled and orphaned children, with the support of only a handful of friends. The mission societies to which he had applied before saw no commission for helping the blind in the Orient.

World War I
Christoffel’s work came to an end when the First World War broke out. In 1919, he was expelled and Turkey remained closed to him, as to all Germans.

From Turkey to Iran
As soon as the ban was lifted, Christoffel set out for Turkey again, but the house in Malatia was lost. Attempts to start again in Constantinople (later Istanbul) resulted in renewed prohibition, so Christoffel went to Iran. In 1925 and 1928, two homes were set up in Tabriz and Isfahan, respectively, for blind and otherwise disabled young people.

Persecution during World War II
The Second World War destroyed everything, and the threat of deportation was imminent. Christoffel did not want to leave his charges on their own. In 1943, he was arrested and spent three years behind barbed wire, but his will remained unbroken.

Return to Iran
As soon as he had access in 1951, Christoffel returned to Isfahan. Despite the fact that he was ailing and 70 years of age, he went on helping the disabled, poor, and abandoned in the name of Jesus Christ. Pastor Christoffel died on 23 April 1955. His tombstone in Isfahan names him the “Father of the Blind, Deaf-Mute, Physically Disabled and Orphans”.

The commitment of Pastor Ernst Jakob Christoffel to the education and rehabilitation of persons with disabilities laid the foundation for an organisation that is today one of the leading international development organisations for persons with disabilities worldwide.

Over time, CBM’s policy has widened from serving blind people to giving all persons with disabilities access to basic healthcare services. There are 600 million persons with disabilities in the world. Most of them live in developing countries. About 2.5% of these people- a target population of 10 million—are covered by CBM’s programmes.