In times of natural disasters such as Haiti or Chile’s earthquakes – long after the rest of the world has moved on – CBM remains….going about the business of rebuilding lives.

These rebuilding and reconstruction efforts distinguish CBM from the hundreds of other nonprofit organizations that step in during times of natural disaster. In fact, once immediate physical needs such as food and shelter have been met, that’s when CBM’s real works begins.  

CBM’s priority, first and foremost, is to assist people with disabilities. During times of national emergency, these people are especially vulnerable for a number of reasons. They are more likely to be left behind during evacuations, and they may struggle to gain access to food, water, or healthcare resources because of inaccessibly constructed distribution centers. In turn, people with disabilities may not be able to use emergency shelters because these shelters may not be designed for accessibility. People with disabilities may also lose their assistive devices during the disaster, ultimately losing their only means of independence.

As dedicated as CBM is to the reconstruction effort, these activities have pushed our resources and taken a financial toll on our organization. Now, we need your help! Please donate so CBM can continue to provide support to the world’s most vulnerable—especially in times of natural disasters such as the ones recently occurring in Central and South America.

CBM in Chile

CBM has worked in Chile for more than 25 years and has a project partner in the region hardest hit by the recent 8.8 magnitude earthquake. Suffering extensive damage, the project will require concentrated rebuilding efforts at an estimated cost of $300,000. This project is crucial to people with disabilities in the region as it provides comprehensive education, rehabilitation, and healthcare services for children who are deaf, blind and multiply disabled. This project, due to its excellent quality of service, is a hub of training and advice to organizations working in this field.

CBM in Haiti

Through partnerships with Handicap International and ChildFund, CBM remains heavily involved in reconstruction efforts in Haiti.

By appointment from the World Health Organization, CBM and Handicap International have taken the lead in forming a sub-group on disability that will focus on the coordination of assistance for Haitians suffering from traumatic injuries leading to short-term and long-term disabilities. One significant aspect of this partnership is the inclusion of Haitian Disabled People’s Organizations in the reconstruction process. Together, these partners will set up nine focal points for patients, providing information about services, simple wound treatment, mobilization advice, physiotherapy, and mobility devices.

“We plan to re-establish and strengthen capacity of rehab services and Disabled People’s Organizations to respond to the increased needs throughout Haiti. And, we want to ensure that the reconstruction to buildings, especially public buildings, will be fully accessible to people with disabilities,” says Ron Nabors, CEO of CBM-US.

CBM has also joined with long-time partner in Haiti, Centre d’Education Specialise (CES) and Childfund, an organization with extensive experience in creating child-centered spaces during emergencies to create 10 Child Centered Spaces for vulnerable children. Amid the chaos in this country, children are more vulnerable than ever before. And, children with disabilities—both those with pre-existing disabilities and those with new disabilities as a result of the earthquake—are even more at risk.  

Child Centered Spaces provide a safe space for children to regain a sense of normalcy in the chaos surrounding them. Anne Edgerton, Disaster Management Team Leader for ChildFund, is responsible for coordinating ChildFund’s support of CBM’s response and recovery efforts in Haiti. She spent three weeks working closely with CBM and CES in Port-au-Prince to establish the first Child Centered Space. She witnessed the great need for these centers as well as the ways children and families are already benefitting from services.

“Places that need child centered spaces are not hard to find because children are not back in school yet. Child Centered spaces are a real excitement, even on the day the tent is pitched,” she says.

Another positive development in the creation of these centers has been the partnership of the local community in helping to set up the centers. This action will help to establish a long-term relationship between the community and CES.
Over the next months, CBM and ChildFund will work together to:

• Target 10 affected communities in the capital of Port-au-Prince.
• Enroll 1200 children with disabilities and injuries in these child-centered spaces. Already, 3 of these spaces are up and running.
• Work to rebuild the collapsed CES building.
• Train psychosocial volunteers, teachers, and counselors who will work with the children to discuss the effects of the earthquake on their lives.

“The partnership with ChildFund is greatly appreciated,” says Ron Nabors, CEO of CBM-US. “The financial support provided to CBM through ChildFund has been crucial to maximizing our support to these Child Centered Spaces.”

Deemed the worst disaster the Caribbean nation has seen in more than 200 years, CBM remains heavily involved in Haiti's recovery efforts to help some of the most vulnerable people--those living with disabilities--rebuild their lives. Read More »

The devastating earthquake that hit Haiti has changed lives in unimaginable ways. CBM is committed to continue our work, and find new ways to serve the growing population of the disabled during Haiti's challenging times ahead. Read More »

After two tense days of flight diversions and push backs, we recently received notice today that our teams arrived in Port-au-Prince. Read More »

Greenville, S.C. -- The recent earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, is having a devastating effect on some of the world's most vulnerable people the disabled, according to Ron Nabors, CEO of CBM-US, whose U.S. headquarters are based in Greenville, S.C. Read More »

Our focus over the past 24 hours has centered on search and rescue activities. The need to quickly get aid to all children, people with disabilities and the elderly is extremely critical in the earliest hours. Read More »

CBM has been working in Haiti since over 30 years, since 1976, supporting those with disabilities in the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. Read More »

CBM-US CEO Ron Nabors "fears the worst" because of the magnitude and timing of the quake that struck Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince as most were heading home from work. Read More »