About our founder

In 1908, German Pastor Ernst Christoffel travelled to Turkey and was overwhelmed by the desperate hardship experienced by people living in extreme poverty – including people with disabilities and orphaned children. He founded a home in Malatya for them, independent of religion or nationality, with the support of only a handful of friends. While originally sent to Turkey to evangelise, he made it his mission to rehabilitate and educate these children, and dedicated his life to them, as a pioneer and champion for inclusion. He began Christoffel Blindenmission (Christian Blind Mission), which more than 115 years later is now a global force for change. 

 

Ernst Jakob Christoffel and his sister Hedwig

CBM Global's origins

In 2019, the former CBM International Federation made changes to allow different parts of the Federation to focus on their priorities and areas of expertise. A number of the CBM Member Associations agreed to register as a new federated entity named CBM Global Disability Inclusion. CBM Global is the shortened name for this new entity.

“The deed of love is the sermon everyone understands.”

– Ernst Christoffel