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QAV | Quarterly Blogs 2022-2023

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QAV IN THE COMMUNITY

blog 3 | december 2022.

As part of our partnership with CBM UK, we’re hearing about their work in Zimbabwe to help girls with disabilities access education.

Helping girls with disabilities into education in Zimbabwe

As part of our partnership with CBM UK, we’re hearing about their work in Zimbabwe to help girls with disabilities access education.

Elfreda Whitty is a Programme Manager at CBM UK. She travelled to Zimbabwe this year to visit the Supporting Adolescent Girls’ Education (SAGE) Programme. She tells us:

 “In May 2022, after a two and a half year hiatus due to COVID-19, I had the opportunity to visit our SAGE project in Zimbabwe. This life-changing programme is led by Plan International, with specialist support from CBM to ensure girls with disabilities are included in education. It is funded by UK aid through the Girls’ Education Challenge, the world’s largest global fund dedicated to girls’ education.

As part of my trip, we visited one of the Community Learning Hubs in a very rural village near the Mozambique border. There, I met a young mother called Faith, who has been blind since birth. When she heard that we were coming, she decided to compose a song to sing to us and her whole community, who had gathered under the shade of the big tree next to the Hub building.”

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/3YxwWw6iZ9E

Faith sang: “Other people used to look down at us before we attended SAGE…but we have learned a lot. We have been taught to sew, to read and write, and gender-based violence is less thanks to SAGE.”

Elfreda continues, “I was amazed at how much confidence Faith had. As did so many other girls I met that day. This was due to the skills they had learned through SAGE, which had not only benefitted the girls, but their whole community too.

The SAGE project supports adolescent girls who have never been to school or dropped out of school due to poverty, child-marriage and disability. These and other barriers are mitigated through a community-based, non-formal education programme which ensures that the hardest to reach girls are not left behind when it comes to accessing basic education. It creates acceptance and inclusivity for girls living with disabilities – like Faith.”

Supporting Adolescent Girls’ Education

An estimated 1 in 5 secondary school-age girls in Zimbabwe are not at school – and girls with disabilities are among those most likely to miss out. CBM is working in partnership with Plan International to help girls with disabilities aged 10-19, who are not currently attending school to access education as part of the SAGE programme.

As a part of the programme, 132 community-based Learning Hubs are being set up across 11 districts to reduce the distance girls have to travel to school, making education more accessible for adolescent girls, in particular girls with disabilities. CBM is providing assistive devices, hub modifications and community sensitisation strategies to reduce stigma and ensure girls with disabilities can access these accelerated learning programmes. CBM are also supporting the training of staff and community volunteers to ensure inclusive learning environments.

We are also working with local Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs) to identify girls with disabilities and the barriers they face and to ensure they have access to the right assistive devices, as well as providing training and materials to enable community educators to make their teaching inclusive.

The 6-year SAGE programme launched in 2018 and aims to reach over 21,000 girls who have never attended school or have dropped out.

Find out more about CBM’s work transforming the lives of people with disabilities in the world’s poorest places.

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QAV in the Community

Supporting people with disabilities affected by the Kenya food crisis

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Supporting people with disabilities affected by the Kenya food crisis.

As part of our partnership with CBM UK, we’re looking at the current food crisis in Kenya and its impact on people with disabilities.

Kenya is experiencing its worst drought in over 40 years. Families are facing severe food and water shortages – and people with disabilities are among those at greatest risk. CBM UK is partnering with Kenya Red Cross to provide emergency support to some of the most vulnerable families.

In this blog, people with disabilities share their experiences and talk about the impact of this humanitarian crisis on their lives.

Sofia

Sofia is a casual labourer who supports herself by working on other people’s farms. She also has a few crops of her own – mung beans and black-eyed peas. Life is challenging for Sofia, who is a mother of five children, as she has a physical disability. “It is such a challenge to do farm work because of my leg, even walking can be a challenge”, she explains.

But the drought has made things much worse. The crops in her community failed as the rains arrived late, and then lasted just one week. Her own plants are on the verge of failing and there is little farm work available on others’ land.

“We planted when the rain came, then it stopped raining. We don’t know what is happening. The last time we had a good harvest was the year before COVID.”

“The crops are drying up. The farmers don’t want to waste their resources as there will be nothing to harvest.”

“I can’t carry water myself. I rely on my children to go look for water”.

The drought has meant that the family have been missing one or two meals a day, and has so far survived by borrowing food from neighbours. But some days, there is nothing to be shared.

“If the drought continues, it will be very hard for our community. It will be indescribable.”

Julius

It should be the rainy season, but Julius, who is blind in one eye due to an accident as a child, is desperately looking for water for his family. A meter-deep hand dug well in the bottom of the riverbed reveals a shallow pool of water, which Julius carefully scoops into yellow jerrycans using a gourd ladle.

“For me, everything depends on if it rains or not,” says Julius, who farms sorghum and lentils to provide for his family.

“The rains were anticipated to begin on April 28. It rained on April 28 but since then – nothing substantial. There is a difference between here and other parts of the county,” explains Julius.

Tharaka-Nithi County contains the lush highland slopes of Mount Kenya but also semi-arid lowlands, where Julius lives with his wife Katherine and six children.

“There is nothing we can do about it. It depends on God… I heard that the local government gave out some food, but only to a few households. I haven’t received any assistance”

The family has one kilogram – about three meals worth – of black-eyed peas safely stashed away. Julius’ wants to keep his children enrolled in school, where they receive lunch, but without an income from farming, there has been no money for school fees. “It’s frustrating, as a parent. I have to go and talk to the head teacher and ask them if my children can stay on until I find the money.”

Julius’ priorities are to get food, pay school fees and if there is anything left over, lease a piece of farm land. “Even during a drought you have to try.”

Cecilia and Risper

Cecilia, 43, is the sole breadwinner for her family of six. Her second youngest child, Risper, is deaf-blind. The 10-year-old had meningitis as an infant and lost her vision and hearing as a result.

“Risper is entirely dependent on me”, explains Cecilia. Until she recently joined a local Organisation of Persons with Disabilities (OPD), Cecilia had never had any information about how to meet her daughter’s needs. “It is not easy to raise a child who cannot see or talk… I am not sure how to manage this situation”.

The local OPD is part of a CBM-supported project implemented by the Diocese of Meru. It has been an important source of support – both practical and emotional – and information for Cecilia: “I’ve benefitted a lot from the group”.

Years of malnutrition have left their mark on Risper, who is much smaller than others her age and can’t move around on her own. Through the OPD, she now receives fortified porridge to address her malnutrition and has been referred for physiotherapy and assistive devices, such as a standing frame. Cecilia has already noticed a difference: “She was weak and feeble, now she will be stronger and probably walk.”

But Cecilia fears that this progress is now threatened by the drought. A half-acre of beans whose seeds were procured through the OPD are now wilted and yellow, dying on the hillside next to Cecilia’s small house. “Even if it rains now there is not much we can salvage – the crops are gone. It’s only fodder for livestock.”

CBM is partnering with Kenya Red Cross to provide families like these with emergency support so they can continue to access food and water. Thanks to this support, Sofia, Julius and Cecilia can feed their families and ensure that their children remain enrolled in school.

Find out more about CBM’s work in the world’s poorest places.

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COMMUNITY-BASED INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT – JUNE 2022

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Blog 1 | Community-Based Inclusive Development | June 2022.

This month, as part of our partnership with CBM UK, we’re learning more about their Community-Based Inclusive Development work in the world’s poorest communities.

 

People with disabilities are routinely excluded from health, education, livelihood opportunities and the chance to fully participate in their communities. CBM works in partnership with the Disability Movement at all levels to promote inclusion. Their life-changing community development programmes across Africa and Asia establish the foundations for inclusion, improve access to inclusive education, employment and healthcare, and improve quality of life for women, men and children with disabilities and their families. They use evidence and learning from our community-based work to support the disability movement in advocating for inclusive national laws and policies and achieving global change.

CBM has been partnering with Elim Vocational Training Centre for more than 15 years to improve the lives of people with disabilities in Benue State, Nigeria – ensuring they have better access to health, social, educational, economic and political services.

Inclusive education

CBM and Elim have been enabling students with disabilities to attend mainstream schools. This includes training teaching assistants to support students with disabilities, such as sign language interpretation to support students who are deaf or hard of hearing and guidance on the use of braille and slates to support students who are visually impaired.

Possible

“I want to study law in the university… I want to be a lawyer because I want to defend the rights of the poor and people with disabilities.”

Possible was one of the first students to be enrolled at an inclusive school established by CBM and Elim in 2010. He was immediately given access to resources like braille papers and stylus, as well as receiving support from teaching assistants.

Reuben

“I work in this school to guide them how to write with braille… and also help them copy notes and explain what they do not understand in the class.”

Reuben works as a teaching assistant in one of the inclusive schools supported by CBM and Elim in Nigeria. He became visually impaired himself through a work accident and now provides support to visually impaired students.

Inclusive employment

CBM and Elim have been working to ensure people with disabilities have access to employment through vocational training and providing resources to aid people in setting up their own businesses (e.g. microcredit).

Job

“I received a microcredit for business from Elim. I also received a cutlass and hoe. I have also started weaving, I make baskets and brooms for sale.”

Ten years ago, Job contracted an eye infection, which led to visual impairment. This made it challenging for him to secure employment. Thankfully, Job began to receive support from Elim and has been able to set up a successful business and support himself and his family.

Blessing

“When I finished my training, [Elim] bought me this knitting machine that I am using right now. I make children’s wear like cardigan, pants and shorts, socks, shawls… I am supporting my family”

When Blessing was 15 years old, she fell from a mango tree and sustained a spinal cord injury. As well as livelihoods support and training from CBM’s partner, Elim, Blessing receives regular physiotherapy sessions.

Inclusive healthcare

CBM and Elim have been providing rehabilitation services, such as physiotherapy and assistive devices, to people with disabilities in Nigeria – helping to improve and maintain people’s mobility and their ability to carry out day-to-day tasks and have the best possible quality of life.

Samuel

“I go to the field where we do rehabilitation services for persons with disabilities… We do this because there are some persons with disabilities that may not be able to come to the clinic for treatment and the reason is the terrain is very bad. There is lack of mobility to convey them to the clinic centre to have adequate treatment, so in that case I go to the field.”

Samuel has been working as a physiotherapist with Elim for the past five years. He works with people living with disabilities, helping to improve their mobility and quality of life.

Samuel often visits patients at home, travelling by motorbike to hard-to-reach, rural communities – offering services to people in the Igede region, which has about 400,000 inhabitants spread over 235 villages. Samuel also helps families understand disability and challenge social stigma around disability.

Paul

“It was Elim who gave me this wheelchair… With the help of the wheelchair, I can go from one place to another…”

About two years ago, Paul was diagnosed with a disease that affected his spinal cord leading to quadriplegia: paralysis affecting his both arms and legs. He was a schoolteacher before the diagnosis but immediately lost his source of income, leaving his wife as the sole provider for himself and his three children.

Elim provide practical support for the family, such as providing food and a wheelchair to aid his mobility, and visit him at home to do regular physiotherapy sessions to prevent the condition from worsening.

Find out more about CBM’s work in the world’s poorest places.

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QAV’S ‘RIGHT TO SIGHT’ EYE HEALTH JOURNEY 10

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QAV’S ‘RIGHT TO SIGHT’ EYE HEALTH JOURNEY 10.

The Coronavirus pandemic is having an alarming impact on the numbers of people living avoidably blind.
Month 10 | COVID-19 and the impact on avoidable blindness

The Coronavirus pandemic is having an alarming impact on the numbers of people living avoidably blind.

75% of the world’s blindness can be treated or prevented. The challenges accessing eye services or treatments during the pandemic, especially in low and middle income countries, are leading to more people than ever needlessly losing their sight.

This month, as part of our Right to Sight campaign with CBM UK, we’re hearing more about the impact of COVID-19 from CBM’s Inclusive Eye Health Advisor, Dr Monicah Bitok:

“It’s been very worrying to see the impact of covid. In countries where the levels of blindness were already shocking, they are now even more alarming. During periods of lockdown over the past 2 years some eye health units were closed completely, only dealing with trauma cases. But when these clinics opened, patients were required to be covid tested before they came for surgery. Many of these patients cannot afford the journey in the first place from rural areas to the hospital, so to pay for a covid test on top of journey costs was impossible, and as a result many people missed out on vital sight saving operations. For many the damage has been irreversible”.
Listen to Monicah’s interview on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire to find out more.

CBM is currently running a fundraising appeal called Light up Lives, which QAV is supporting. Donations will help to scale up CBM’s work preventing blindness in the world’s poorest places – and thanks to a group of generous funders, all donations before 28 April will be DOUBLED!

The funds raised will enable people with treatable blindness to see again through sight-restoring surgery, eye treatments and glasses.
Find out more about Light up Lives and how you can get involved.

Deeper dive: the blindness crisis in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe has one of the highest rates of blindness in the world. The leading cause is cataract, which can be treated with straightforward surgery.

The country has a desperate shortage of trained eye health workers and most hospitals don’t have the equipment they need and the dire economic crisis means that even transport to hospital is out of reach for many people – and the situation has become even more desperate due to Coronavirus.

In 2022, CBM hopes to work with their long-term partner Norton Eye Unit, one of the leading eye hospitals in Zimbabwe, to improve their capacity to deliver inclusive eye health services, including sight-restoring cataract surgeries.

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UKRAINIAN REFUGEE RELIEF RUN

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UKRAINIAN REFUGEE RELIEF RUN.

QAV supply logistics services to assist in humanitarian project.
Supporting the Ukrainian Refugee Relief Run

As the crisis in the Ukraine deepens, QAV were approached to see if we would be willing to be involved in a humanitarian aid run to Poland.

QAV were delighted to be able to play a small part in the relief run by offering a vehicle as well as covering all travel expenses. The driver of our vehicle is one of our longstanding freelancers, Paul who will take part in this convoy run.

QAV contacted our sign-writers, Create Signs https://create-signs.com/ at short notice to see if they could provide some additional bespoke signage, which they agreed to and offered them free of charge to promote this mission.

The QAV vehicle will be part of a wider convoy has been organised by Sunflower Aid https://www.facebook.com/sunfloweraid/ in which a group of 30 volunteers located in 15 vehicles are setting off for Poland on Monday 14th March.

The group will be delivering aid gathered through donations of sought after items such as toiletries as well as providing additional support from generous donations raised via their JustGiving page.

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/UkraineSunflowerAid?utm_term=NNRgqGegd

QAV also reached out to its own staff members and offered to match any staff donations made to the JustGiving fundraiser.

Ed Noble said “Gordon and I had discussed what as an organisation we could do to assist the plight of those caught up in this terrible conflict in which the largest refugee migration since WWII is unfolding,  so when Paul approached us to see if we would help in providing logistics for such an important humanitarian project, it was a no brainer!

Hopefully this is one of a number of runs to be undertaken, as the displaced Ukrainian people will need continued support for some period of time.”

Paul added “I got involved with UKSA after Digby (founder Ukraine Sunflower Aid) put a shout out on Facebook asking for help. It was clear that we would need reliable partners and transport to make this vision happen, having worked for QAV in the past I knew that they were exactly the people I wanted on the team. Their professional approach meant I could rely on them, but their sense of family and commitment to being kind people is something I’ve always treasured and that made me sure they would want to help.

I approached Ed and Gordon with our plan and asked for a van to take, they got back to within an hour and insisted that they support us, not only with a van but also covering all of the costs of our transport!

I think everyone is looking for ways to help the people of Ukraine in their hour of need, QAV have once again been there for me in mine.”

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QAV’S ‘RIGHT TO SIGHT’ EYE HEALTH JOURNEY 9

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QAV’S ‘RIGHT TO SIGHT’ EYE HEALTH JOURNEY.

It’s currently World Glaucoma Week (6-12 March)… but what is glaucoma?
Month 9 | Glaucoma

It’s currently World Glaucoma Week (6-12 March)… but what is glaucoma? This month, as part of our Right to Sight campaign with CBM UK, we’re learning all about this eye condition and what CBM and their partner eye hospitals in lower income countries are doing to protect people from glaucoma and prevent them from going irreversibly blind.

What is Glaucoma?

Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide. Increased pressure within the eye damages the optic nerve, which carries visual information from the eye to the brain.  Over time, increased pressure inside the eyeball causes a slow death of nerve fibres. It leads to eye pain, headaches, sickness and loss of vision.

It is vital that glaucoma is diagnosed promptly and treated effectively as without treatment glaucoma causes permanent blindness. Damage to the optic nerve cannot be repaired, but treatment can halt the progress of the disease and prevent further sight loss.

An estimated 76 million people worldwide have glaucoma. 6.9 million of them are blind or visually impaired as a result of the condition [WHO World Report on Vision 2019]. People living in developing countries are much more likely to lose their sight to glaucoma, due to lack of access to eye tests and treatment.

What help is needed?

Glaucoma is treated with eye drops, laser treatment or surgery, which relieves pressure on the optic nerve and stops the condition from advancing further.

CBM UK is working in the world’s poorest places to protect people from glaucoma and other blinding conditions, working with eye hospitals and other local partners to:

  • Improve access to eye tests and screening so glaucoma is diagnosed before it’s too late.
  • Enable people with glaucoma to access sight-saving treatment, including through outreach camps in remote places far from the nearest hospital.
  • Develop more effective treatment for Glaucoma by supporting the first trial of laser treatment in sub-Saharan Africa.
  • Train specialist doctors, nurses and other health workers to identify and treat eye conditions like glaucoma, and equip hospital eye departments, especially in rural areas.

Find out more about the pioneering laser treatment trial supported by CBM.

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QAV’S ‘RIGHT TO SIGHT’ EYE HEALTH JOURNEY 8

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QAV’S ‘RIGHT TO SIGHT’ EYE HEALTH JOURNEY.

Something as simple as a pair of glasses can be truly life-changing.

Month 8 I Low Vision

Something as simple as a pair of glasses can be truly life-changing.

People living in the world’s poorest places often have little or no access to basic eye health services. CBM and their partner hospitals provide glasses and low vision devices to people who are visually impaired, enabling them to get an education and work to support their families.

This month, as part of our Right to Sight campaign with CBM UK, we’re sharing the stories of best friends Junior and Grace, from Zimbabwe, who were struggling in school because of their poor vision, but have now been fitted for glasses and are able to pursue their education and ambitions.

 

Junior’s story

It’s not a surprise to Junior that he needs glasses. He’s been having problems with his eyes for a long time now. When he gets to school, he cannot see the blackboard and asks friends to tell him what’s written on there. His eyes start itching when he strains them.

Junior has never had an eye test before, or seen an eye health professional. His mother and sister also have sight problems. His mother supports the family on her own, working as a security guard. She’s short-sighted and used to have glasses to help her see clearly. But when the glasses broke, she could not afford to replace them. She’s been living with poor vision for over 15 years.

Things change for Junior when he attends an eye screening at his school. CBM-supported health workers carry out vision tests on pupils at the school and identify if they need low vision devices, such as glasses. Junior is referred to a local hospital to see a refractionist. There he chooses a pair of glasses, which his mother is relieved to discover are subsidised by CBM. He’s very happy to be able to see clearly again and read without painful, itching eyes. Now he will be able to see the blackboard at school, which will make learning much easier. His dream is to be an engineer or an IT specialist one day.

 

Grace’s story

Grace’s favourite subject at school is history. She especially likes European history: “I think, it’s important to know about other countries”, she says. During lessons, Grace has to sit at the front of the class so that she can see the blackboard. She has problems with her vision when it’s shady or windy.

Grace’s mother also struggles because of her poor sight but her father tells us “Sometimes it is hard to have food for the whole family. In these times, I need to decide between new glasses or breakfast for my children.”

At an eye screening at Grace’s school, the CBM team finds that Grace needs glasses. She’s referred to a local hospital to see a refractionist and is prescribed glasses free of charge. She can’t stop smiling whilst she’s trying them on. Grace feels much more confident now and is looking forward to wearing her glasses in class.

 

Find out more about CBM’s sight saving work in the world’s poorest communities.

Image: Junior and Grace smiling with their new glasses on. ©CBM/U.Kleiner

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QAV’S ‘RIGHT TO SIGHT’ EYE HEALTH JOURNEY 7

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QAV’S ‘RIGHT TO SIGHT’ EYE HEALTH JOURNEY.

World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day is coming up on the 30th January. This month, as part of our Right to Sight campaign with CBM UK, we’re learning more about NTDs and discovering the progress that’s been made to #BeatNTDs in the world’s poorest places and the action still needed!
Month 7 I Neglected Tropical Diseases

What are Neglected Tropical Diseases?

NTDs are a group of ancient diseases that threaten 1.7 billion people living in the poorest and most marginalized communities worldwide – where there is little or no access to clean water and sanitation.

These diseases blind, disable and disfigure people, taking away not only their health, but also their chances of staying in school, earning a living, or even being accepted by their family or community.

Since 2012, 33 countries have eliminated at least one NTD. Some of the most well-known NTDs include Trachoma, River Blindness and Leprosy.

Berthine’s story

64-year-old Berthine adores her grandchildren, but she’s only ever seen the three eldest because she’s lost her sight to River Blindness.

Without treatment, River Blindness causes permanent blindness. Sadly, it is too late to save Bertine’s sight, but we can protect generations to come – including her grandchildren.

Together with their long-term partner, HANDS, CBM is working alongside communities in Nigeria, to eliminate NTDs. This includes providing regular medication to protect people from River Blindness and other NTDs and improving access to clean water and sanitation. Find out more.

CBM has also been working in partnership with The Leprosy Mission Nigeria and University of Jos to improve mental health support for people affected by skin NTDs like leprosy, lymphatic filariasis and Buruli Ulcer. Find out more.

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QAV Christmas Tree Collection 2022

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QAV IN THE COMMUNITY

QAV Christmas Tree Collection 2022.

QAV staff donated time and vehicles over 3 days at the start of January collecting approximately 200 Christmas Trees.
Back again to support a good cause.

After offering our services to this good cause last year, we have been back out again joining #TeamArthur collecting Christmas trees across Cambridgeshire raising money and awareness for the Arthur Rank Hospice and their Christmas Tree collection campaign. QAV staff donated time and vehicles over 3 days at the start of January collecting approximately 200 Christmas Trees. We collected and recycled in these postcode areas CB1, CB2, CB3, CB4, CB5, CB21, CB22, CB23, CB24 and all postcodes in Waterbeach between 6th – 9th January 2022.

This year 170 volunteers across Cambridgeshire collected 3000 trees, raising over £58,000 for the Arthur Rank Hospice.

Arthur Rank Hospice supports people living in Cambridgeshire with an advanced serious illness or a life-limiting condition and those in need of end-of-life care. They care for more than 4,100 patients each year at their Hospice in Cambridgeshire, the Alan Hudson Day Treatment Centre in Wisbech and in patients’ own homes via the Arthur Rank Community Team. Their outstanding care is provided free of charge to patients and their families.

To find out more about Arthur Rank Hospice Christmas tree recycling go to https://www.arhc.org.uk/fundraising/fundraise-your-way/community-initiatives/christmas-tree-recycling-2/

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Community

QAV’s ‘RIGHT TO SIGHT’ EYE HEALTH JOURNEY 6

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QAV’s ‘RIGHT TO SIGHT’ EYE HEALTH JOURNEY.

This month, we’re delving deeper into the eye condition cataracts – the leading cause of blindness worldwide – and exploring why it’s so important that children are diagnosed, and treated, early on.

Month 6 | Cataracts

What are Cataracts?

Cataracts occur when the lens of the eye becomes cloudy, obscuring the vision. They can occur in one or both eyes. Over time, if untreated, the lens becomes opaque, leading to blindness.Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide, causing around half of all blindness.  The condition can be treated with straightforward, sight-restoring surgery, but for millions of people in the world’s poorest places, treatment is out of reach.

Cataracts are most commonly diagnosed among older people, but they may also occur in younger people and children, even from birth. If a child is born with cataracts, the condition must be treated in the first few years of life; if not their sight will not develop properly and the child will be permanently, irreversibly blind.

It’s vital that children with cataracts are reached quickly, or they face a lifetime of blindness.

Did you know? Cataracts can be removed with an operation costing as little as £24 for an adult or £95 for a child? The impact lasts a lifetime!

Adip’s story

6-year-old Adip has bi-lateral cataracts, but families like his – farmers in rural Nepal – cannot afford sight-saving treatment.

They can only watch on, as their son loses his sight. “Some say that Adip needs to wear glasses for the rest of his life, others say he needs frequent surgeries in the future. We are farmers; we don’t have knowledge to understand all this. We are worried.”

Children living with sight loss and disabilities are more likely to miss out on education than any other group, making up a third of all children who are not in school. But education is one of the main ways we can stop cycles of poverty, because receiving an education means that there is a chance of better employment in the future.

The sooner children like Adip are reached, the better, not just so children have a better future, but so that their bodies can develop and heal properly after surgery. There is no doubt that the last year had been incredibly challenging. Healthcare services across the world have been under enormous pressure due to the pandemic, especially in countries like Nepal where many people with disabilities have struggled to access food, medicine and equipment.

This Christmas you can give the Miracle gift of sight to children, like Adip, living in the world’s poorest places. Find out more about CBM’s Christmas Miracles campaign.

Images: Top – Dipendra (11) from Nepal, having an eye examination. Bottom – Adip (6) from Nepal, at home. ©CBM

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