She’s a back to school “Miracle”
As I drove to work this morning, I saw a school bus full of kids heading back to school. It reminded me of a little girl I had visited in Malawi, whose name was changed from ‘Lonely’ to ‘Miracle’. It was a miracle she was alive, let alone able to go to school. Let me explain. One morning, ‘Lonely’s’...
Read moreI Want a Hug
A cbm Canada program officer recently returned from Tanzania. She reported that a recent addition to therapy for non-verbal children was a ‘communications board’. Along with the care-giver, community worker who knows the child, a communications “need list” is designed. These include a picture of food, toilet, and other every day needs. Each board is designed, however, with...
Read moreSeeing All Children As Children
Last week a child in a school supported by cbm in Malawi was abducted, killed, and body parts used for traditional medicine. The boy was targeted because he had albinism. A recent article on Reuters refers to the problem of violence towards people with albinism My prayers go out to the family. I can’t imagine the trauma that they...
Read moreToiling on a Foundation
Guest Blogger – Brian Hatchell, Partnership Development Officer at cbm Canada I recently returned from a trip to Fiche, Ethiopia where – alongside a number of cbm Canada donors and local residents – I spent 7 days lifting, carrying and dumping dirt, rocks and boulders in order to help lay a foundation for 4 new homes that will be...
Read moreStanding Up for Stunted Souls
Caroline Abbotts, cbm Canada Fundraising Field Coordinator Guest Blogger Last month, I had the pleasure and honour to visit Comprehensive Community-based Rehabilitation in Tanzania (CCBRT), a partner of cbm Canada. A specific experience made a huge impact on me. While visiting the pediatric orthopaedic ward, I sat with a mom and her two children – both who have clubfeet....
Read more4 Concerns with New Global Goals
The Friday before last, (September 25), the United Nations passed the “Sustainable Development Goals” (SDGs). These global targets are meant to drive the development agenda for the next decade. They replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted by world leaders at a UN summit in September 2000. Contrary to the MDGs, the new goals (SDGs) explicitly mention disability 11...
Read moreNepal’s First Responders
At cbm, last week (and I suspect this week and next) will be dominated by the earthquake in Nepal and our emergency response. In emergencies-man made or natural-we need to remember in prayer the people directly affected. The people most obviously affected are those in Nepal who have lost family members, homes-who’ve had their lives shattered. After these most...
Read moreRemembering the Personal Side of the Nepal Disaster
When a natural disaster hits, like the earthquake in Nepal, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the numbers and the chaos. I find that sometimes the macro view – total number of deaths, homes destroyed, families split – actually numbs me to the reality. To really get a sense of what these numbers mean you have to hear...
Read moreWhy I Do What I Do
Many of you have been following the story of Denis. (Follow here) Denis is a little boy in Uganda who has had major surgery to straighten his legs. So many times kids like Denis are statistics-another client, another surgery, another life. Denis for me has become personal-he is a little boy that had to go to the hospital, undergo...
Read moreIn Niger – How do you plan for drought?
How do you plan for a food crisis? How do you include people with disabilities in that planning? One answer might surprise you… you build a garden and dig a well! In Niger we have this wonderful example of how cbm worked with Oumou Moussa, a woman with a disability, to help her use her land for a well...
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