Here’s our gift to help the world’s poorest people

£75 £190

£

£240

Prayer Diaries, quantity

extra newsletters, quantity

Information about Christian Blind Mission Sunday

Please send us additional resources:

My name

Church name /community group

My telephone number

My email

Address

Postcode

I am making a cheque payable to ‘CBM’, or

Debit the amount of £

from my debit/credit card

CAF card

Name on card

Card number

3-digit security number (shown on signature strip) Expiry date

Jacqueline, CBM UK Community Officer

G1811GLA

CBM England & Wales Oakington Business Park Dry Drayton Road Cambridge CB24 3DQ

+44(0)1223 484700

CBM Scotland83 Princes StreetEdinburghEH2 2ER

+44(0)131 200 6018

CBM Northern IrelandThe Mount Business Centre2 Woodstock LinkBelfast BT6 8DD

+44(0)2890 730151

info@cbmuk.org.uk www.cbmuk.org.uk @CBMUK.ORG @CBMuk

Registered charity no:

1058162 (England & Wales);SC041101 (Scotland)

5 minutes withEvery second counts

“I do most of the clinic activities, like carrying out tests and doing questionnaires. Most of my work is with patients with glaucoma, and most patients are between 45-70 years old.

At first when people come here, they don’t really know what they are suffering from. Most of them think they have cataract, so they think it is just an operation and they will recover their vision.

But the worst feeling is when patients realise they have glaucoma. They want to recover their vision and are disappointed to find that their vision will never be perfect again. Most of them need to talk with our counsellor.

Once they have seen the counsellor they are happier. You hear them chit-chatting outside (saying): “I have been attending KCMC for ten years or I have been attending for 15 years and their treatment has been able to keep my vision all this time, and since I started treatment, my vision has improved.” The biggest challenge is seeing people going blind, if they reach us too late or if they don’t continue coming.

What message do I have for people in the UK who support this project? I want them to know that they are so, so appreciated. We appreciate what they are

doing for our society. Because without you, so many people would have gone blind. You are saving a lot of people from going blind. And once you support them with medicine, treatment and diagnosis, they feel good, they feel better.

www.cbmuk.org.uk

Latest news on how your support changes lives

DisabilityMatters ‘As long as it is day, we must do the

works of him who sent me.’ (John 9:4)

Sia Mbishi, Northern Tanzania

Sia Mbishi works at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) in Northern Tanzania, East Africa. She has been at the hospital for three years, working as a Medical Assistant in the eye health department. Here, she talks about her role and the challenges and rewards of working in eye care.

We never know what is around the corner and for Leslie Bell, his wife Beatrice’s sight loss had a huge impact on both their lives.

For Beatrice there was no cure and her sight gradually declined until she was blind in one eye. This experience sparked a deep passion for helping people affected by sight loss in the world’s poorest places.

Leslie wanted to ensure that his passion would benefit future generations so he decided to leave a gift to CBM in his Will. Sadly, Leslie passed away just before his 93rd birthday, but because of his special gift, his compassion will continue to help more people in the world’s poorest places long into the future. We are so grateful to Leslie for his inspirational kindness and to his daughter and son-in-law for allowing us to share his story.

If you are considering including CBM in your Will and would like further information please contact David Rootham, Gifts in Wills Officer on 01223 484700 or email legacies@cbmuk.org.uk

Tawa lives with her mother Pamela in Zimbabwe, Southern Africa. You may remember that Pamela noticed there was a problem with her daughter’s eyesight when Tawa started school two years ago. Although she showed promise as a student, Tawa could not write in a straight line; cataracts had begun clouding both her eyes. Struggling to see through the milky film, Tawa could not make out the blackboard, or play with her friends.

The cost of surgery was far beyond Pamela’s means, but the generosity of fantastic CBM supporters like you meant that Tawa was able to receive surgery to save her sight.

The operation came just in time – as Tawa is still growing, and her eyes and brain still developing, there was a good chance for Tawa’s eyes to adapt and work well following an operation.

Learn more inside

Winter 2018

Your donations give new hope to

8-year-old Tawa

Pray for those around the world whose impaired vision is affecting their mental health. Pray that God would comfort and encourage them, and lift their spirits.

Lord, we pray for people living in the poorest parts of the world. We ask you to place your caring hand on those living with disability, so they may find doors instead of barriers and opportunities instead of challenges

Thank God for all the people we have been able to reach, like Abul, Aida and Tawa. Thank God for Sia and all the other health workers who have dedicated their lives to restoring sight.

Prayer Points

You make their lives better, you bring joy into their hearts. Being based in this clinic, what I can say is, may God bless you. You cannot know what you are doing, but the Lord shall reward you. Thank you.

PAGE 208mm WIDE FOR ROLL FOLD

75%

of all blindness is

avoidable.

Please return this form with your donation to:

Freepost Plus RSKK-HXAX-CYGZCBM, Oakington Business Park, Dry Drayton Road, Oakington, Cambridge, CB24 3DQ or to your regional office in the envelope enclosed.

Thank You

Registered Charity no: 1058162 (England & Wales); SC041101 (Scotland)

If you are a UK taxpayer, your gift could be worth up to 25% more at no extra cost to you.

I want to Gift Aid my donation of £ and any donations I make in the future or have made in the

past 4 years to CBM. I am a UK taxpayer and understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations in that tax year it is my responsibility to pay any difference.

I am NOT a UK taxpayer

Signature

Date

If you are no longer a tax payer, or have moved house, please call us on 0800 567 7000.

Donate quickly and securely online at:

www.cbmuk.org.uk/donate

Or call us on 0800 567 7000

You are receiving this information because here at CBM UK we need your help to transform the lives of people with disabilities living in some of the world’s poorest places. Your support is vital and without it we cannot help all of those that need us. We are writing to you because we believe you share our values. You can change the way you hear from us or stop these communications at any time. Please contact the CBM UK team on 01223 484700 or info@cbmuk.org.uk. You can view our privacy policy at www.cbmuk.org.uk/privacy

Kirsty Smith, Chief Executive, CBM UK

Dear Friends

Thank you and God bless.

Thankfully, the surgery went

well, and there were no

complications as the surgical

team carefully replaced the

cloudy lenses in Tawa’s eyes

with artificial ones.

Later, Tawa’s bandages were

removed, which can often be

uncomfortable following the

operation. Tawa slowly blinked, and

tears formed in her eyes as she

struggled to see where she was.

She wiped them away and looked

around the room before her face lit

up with a smile.

“I see so much better than before”,

she said happily. “The first thing I

will do at home is writing something.

I am surely better in writing now.

And I will become an eye doctor one

day and give sight to children like

I got sight today.” Pamela stroked

Tawa’s head and smiled. “I am so

relieved!” she said.

Leaving the hospital, Pamela knows that in the last few

days, Tawa’s future has changed beyond measure. Being

able to read the books and blackboard at school means

that Tawa can receive an education, and in time, get a

job. But for now, Tawa’s happiness is focussed on the

immediate – she will finally be able to play her favourite

game, hopscotch, with her friends.

Aged 50 and from Malawi in Southern

Africa, Aida suffered from trachoma

trichiasis, a condition where the eye

lashes turn inwards and scratch over

the eye. Trachoma is incredibly painful

and leads to irreversible blindness if the

infection is not treated.

Thankfully Aida could get surgery for

free thanks to the kind gifts from CBM

supporters. When she arrived back

home after the operation to save her

sight, her children are happy. “I can

see that my mother is relieved. She

isn’t struggling anymore. I am happy

that her pain is finally gone”, her son

Dinbuga said. Now free from pain, Aida

agrees. “Yes, things have changed

definitely for me. Hopefully, I can live in

peace now.”

Donations and prayers from CBM

supporters means that people like Aida,

living in the most isolated and poverty-

stricken areas of the world, can have

their lives transformed through medical

intervention, giving them real and

tangible hope for the future.

Aida’s sight – and her future – restored

60-year-old Abul arrived

in the camp with sight and

hearing problems. Frightened

and disorientated, Abul felt

unable to communicate with

anyone around him. Now that

he has received a hearing

aid and cataract operation,

Abul says, “I feel really

grateful for the support I got

from CBM, they gave me a

hearing device. With it I can

hear much better. And after

the operation I can also see

clearly. They took great care

for us. For this we are really

happy.”

Abul’s challenges are

far from over; monsoon

flooding has been

savaging the camps. But

thanks to your support,

CBM is there to make

sure that people with

disabilities aren’t being

forgotten.

Your support helps people in war torn communities

Churches join together to save sight

As we go to print, hundreds of churches

in the UK are joining together to

celebrate Christian Blind Mission Sunday

on 14th October.

Every year, up to half a million children

in developing countries go blind, mostly

from cataracts. But 75% of all blindness is

avoidable. Christian Blind Mission Sunday is

a chance for congregations to learn, pray and

raise funds for children at risk of blindness in

the world’s poorest and most isolated places.

Churches from

Southampton

to Sheffield and

London to Liverpool

are taking part;

find out how they

got on in our next

newsletter.

We have some fantastic free resources of help your church, group or school pray or hold an event for CBM. To find out more call us on 01223 484700 or email community@cbmuk.org.uk

UPDATE OF AIDA

Tawa continued

Gifts like yours mean that children in the world’s poorest places can go to school and join in learning and games with their friends. Thank you for helping to bring light and joy to the life of a child like Tawa.

“I was able to do everything before, but with all the pain and tears I am not able to concentrate anymore. I cut off my eye lashes to stop the pain, but when they grew again it was hurting even more”

UPDATE ON ABUL

In August last year, an estimated

700,000Rohingya refugees

fled across the border into Bangladesh following violence in Myanmar.

Living in temporary shelters, with very

little food, clean water or medical care,

those with disabilities are especially

at risk. But thanks to CBM supporters,

people like Abul are getting the help

they need.

On the 11th October, CBM and our friends, partner hospitals and supporters like you in more than 50 countries around the world, joined together to mark World Sight Day. As we ready ourselves for challenges in the years ahead to give people with disabilities, including blindness, the expert medical treatment they deserve, it’s also heart-warming to remind you, our generous supporters, of the miracles that you make happen every day.

Every day children like Tawa can see

their parent’s faces clearly for the first

time, women like Aida are freed from

pain caused by diseases like trachoma

and men, like Abul, can regain their

sense of security even in unfamiliar

surroundings. We’re so please to be

able to share with you today these real,

emotional and truly wonderful stories.

The daily barriers that people with

disabilities face in the world’s poorest

places may be different from life in

the UK. Water may be miles away

or perhaps people have to flee their

home due to conflict, but by supporting

CBM you help real people to see their

surroundings, their homes, their loved

ones – and these things bring joy way

beyond what we can express on paper.

said Aida before her sight-saving operation

For the first time in as long as she can remember, Tawa saw her mother’s face clearly.

PAGE 208mm WIDE FOR ROLL FOLD