CBM in Numbers

Eye diseases and visual impairments are a global issue affecting over a billion people, most of whom live in developing and emerging countries.

Cataracts, a common cause of visual impairment, affect around 100.5 million people, mainly in Asia and Africa. However, the good news is that over 90% of all visual impairments can be prevented or cured, thanks to the dedicated efforts of organisations like CBM.

In 2023, CBM continued its long-standing commitment to ending preventable blindness, reaching more than 8.9 million people with ophthalmological care and facilitating over 252,000 cataract surgeries. The first CBM-funded cataract surgery was performed in 1966. By the end of 2023, this figure had risen to 16 million.

Glaucoma, which results in visual impairment or blindness for 7.75 million individuals globally, has also been a focus of CBM’s efforts. In 2023, the organisation contributed to over 15,000 glaucoma surgeries, emphasising the importance of early detection and treatment to prevent irreversible vision loss.

Trachoma, a bacterial eye infection prevalent in various regions, has affected around 125 million people, with 1.9 million experiencing visual impairment or blindness due to this neglected tropical disease. Through CBM's intervention, almost 2 million people received medication to treat them against trachoma infection in 2023. Over 11,000 eyelid surgeries were carried out, offering hope to those at risk of losing their sight.

River blindness, or onchocerciasis, predominantly affects populations in Africa, South America, and Yemen, putting an estimated 244 million people at risk of going blind. CBM's partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) has enabled the distribution of preventive medication, reaching over 37 million people in 2023, helping to alleviate the threat of river blindness and its devastating consequences.

In addition to these efforts, CBM's contributions to addressing childhood blindness, mainly through initiatives targeting uncorrected defective vision, congenital cataracts, and other significant causes, have provided treatment and support to millions of children and adolescents globally.

CBM also emphasises the importance of improved hygiene, access to essential medication, and implementing comprehensive eye health programs to ensure sustainable and long-term solutions for eye diseases.

NTDs encompass over 20 diseases caused by parasites, viruses, bacteria, fungi, and toxins. These diseases primarily affect the poorest communities in tropical and subtropical regions, affecting over 1 billion people worldwide and causing half a million deaths annually. If left untreated, NTDs can lead to permanent disabilities.

In 2023, more than 51 million people received medication for NTDs through mass drug administration (MDA). MDAs were conducted by community health workers in partnership with governments, local partners, and health workers in affected communities.

More than 39 million of these were treated for the tropical eye diseases trachoma and river blindness. Over 45 million people also received treatment for elephantiasis, schistosomiasis, and geohelminths. 

In 2023, CBM and its local partners provided relief and recovery efforts to 136,000 people affected by natural disasters. For example, during the devastating drought in the Turkana district, a mother named Akuuta from Kenya and her children received support. CBM also supported people in Malawi after the devastating cyclone "Freddy". This included medical treatment, food, household and hygiene products, rehabilitation, and support for livelihood security.

Community Based Inclusive Development (CBID) is a way of working that ensures people with disabilities are respected and included in their communities on an equal basis in all areas of life. This can include community mapping, capacity building, awareness raising and advocacy, networking and community-led research. CBID programmes are delivered by people in the community, with people with disabilities in the lead.

In 2023, over 752,000 people participated in CBID projects.

Our livelihood projects support persons with disabilities, women and young people, their households and communities to earn a living in an independent and sustainable way. We work with communities to develop savings groups, strengthen livelihoods, and agriculture, develop business and entrepreneurial skills for income generation activities, and lobby for inclusive employment practices.

In 2023, more than 87,000 persons with disabilities benefited from training, improved access to the labour market, or access to financial services.

At CBM, we believe that education is key to breaking the cycle of disability and poverty. We promote systemic change through curriculum development, awareness raising, advocacy and teacher training so that persons with disabilities around the world have access to quality education. We also work with civil society and governments to make mainstream schools accessible and support special schools and centres to develop into inclusive education resource centres.

In 2023, more than 200,000 learners enrolled at our partner schools.

Persons with disabilities are disproportionately affected in disaster, emergency and conflict situations. By working with persons with disabilities in the community, as well as local and national stakeholders, CBM and our partners aim to build resilient, inclusive communities that have the capacity to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters.

CBM's efforts in disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction (DiDRR) and emergency preparedness have influenced the development of 36 disability-inclusive policies/laws, disseminated 84 good practices, and engaged 255 organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs). CBM partners trained 30,219 participants, organisational representatives, and 14,510 community members on DiDRR.

CBM and our partners work closely with communities and stakeholders to improve access to quality, inclusive health and rehabilitation services. Our work in physical rehabilitation begins in the community, where our partners identify and refer children and adults who need treatment. They are referred to our partner hospitals, rehabilitation centres and clinics for treatment, which can include short-term accommodation, physiotherapy, surgery, prosthetics, assistive devices or orthotics. After treatment, our partners support children and adults to return to their community and where possible facilitate access to education and livelihood opportunities.

In 2023, almost 194,000 people were reached with physical rehabilitation services.