Because of you, Yogendra and Prakash can both see!
Yogendra is only eight years old. Prakash, his younger brother is just four.
These two boys were both born with congenital cataracts, without urgent surgery, they would never get the chance to see.
But thanks to your support for our Double Blessings Appeal, every gift given by amazing supporters like you was matched by an equal gift from our Double Blessings fund.
We simply can’t thank you enough!
Because of you, Yogendra and Prakash travelled with their mum Mina almost the entire length of their country by bus, and arrived at the Eye Hospital in Nepal.
Just 24 hours after being booked in, it was time to remove their eye-patches. Prakash had his eyepatch taken away first. He cried initially, but then began looking around curiously as Yogendra had his patch removed…
The nurse began holding up fingers for Yogendra to count, and wonderfully, he got it right each time!
The boys’ mother, Mina beamed with joy at the news.
“Thanks to God, my sons can see now. I don’t know how I can thank you all, I have no words.
“I am extremely happy for my boys. They have their whole life ahead, and they will be able to see now. It is because of your support that my children can see again. I have nothing but wishes to give back.”
Because of you, Sha’atu has been set free from Trachoma
For years, Sha’atu lived in constant agony because of Trachoma.
She said, “I can hardly keep my eyes open. My eyes are very teary, and it is very painful and itchy.”
You may remember that Trachoma is the leading cause of infectious blindness in the world. Left untreated, this can cause irreversible blindness.
We are delighted to report, that because of your generous support, and the added benefit of your impact being multiplied x 12, sight-saving antibiotics have now been delivered and distributed far and wide to areas in greatest need, including everyone in the village where Sha’atu and her children live!
Your kindness is something Sha’atu will never forget.
This grateful mother is now crying, but not with tears of pain or infection but tears of joy, because you helped set her free and protected her children from going blind.
Thank you for helping eradicate the threat of Trachoma from the last remaining hotspots of infection. You have brought a little bit of Heaven down to earth for Sha’atu, and her entire village. Thank you.
More than 58 wells will be built… because of you
At Christmas, we sent out a special letter asking for your help to dig wells.
As you may recall, many villages are unable to access fresh water, forcing people to travel long distances to collect infected water from the dangerous breeding grounds of Trachoma.
Drilling and installing a freshwater borehole in a village costs $4,600. This is a huge amount of money, and beyond the means of most people to give.
Yet over 37 wonderful CBM supporters rose to the challenge. Thanks to their exceptional kindness and generosity more than an incredible 58 new wells will soon be installed in remote villages affected by Trachoma. Thank you so much!
This will be life-changing for so many communities. From all of us at CBM, thank you for everything you’re doing to help improve the lives of people with disabilities living in poverty.
Because of your Meaningful Gifts, lives have been changed forever!
This year’s Meaningful Gifts catalogue was a huge hit, and these were the three biggest attractions…
Gorgeous Goats!
Because of you, families living in the most remote and poorest areas of the world have just received a wonderful gift – a goat!
Glasses Galore!
Because of you, thousands of children can now see clearly thanks to your gifts of glasses. And that means they can flourish at school and thrive.
Wonderful Water!
Because of you, hundreds of people with disabilities are now able to access safe, clean water. What a wonderful gift that will both improve and transform their lives.
Because of you, children with disabilities are able to thrive!
Because of your support, CBM has just launched a new initiative called ‘My Start Counts’.
There are more than 240 million children with disabilities around the world.
These children are less likely to have their voices heard, and are more likely to be excluded from society, especially if they live in poverty.
With your help, we hope to see all children with disabilities thriving and participating as full members of society. And this all starts with making sure they can access an inclusive education.
Because of you, CBM is now working alongside UNICEF Australia to ensure that children with disabilities are included in early childhood programs across PNG and the Pacific.
Children might avoid going to school because there are no toilets that can accommodate their disability. So with your help, CBM have helped build toilets with disability access in schools across Kenya.
And in the Philippines, we’re working with one of our CBM Partners to support early assessments and therapies for children with disabilities. This has been a huge success, and families who thought their children would never be able to go to school, are now seeing them attend.
None of this would be possible, without your help. Thank you for helping these children count, and for giving them the best possible start to life.
‘My Start Counts’ because of you.
Dave stepped out of a plane… …to join you in the fight against Trachoma
76-year-old Dave is a passionate CBM supporter, determined to raise money to help protect people, especially children, from the blinding misery of Trachoma.
“The thought of children suffering this horrifying disease makes me feel sick,” he says.
So Dave skydived, and raised vital funds to provide sight-saving antibiotics to vulnerable people in Kenya.
There aren’t many people with enough courage to jump out of a plane, but this brave retiree has done just that. And as Dave said, “Knowing that children and adults will be protected from this disease will put a real smile on my face.”
Find out how you can support CBM by fundraising in your community and be a fundraising legend just like Dave.