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Christian Blind Mission supports International Day of Persons with Disabilities

M E T R O F I L E

12/01/2008

Many people have devoted their lives to improving the lives of others. They come from all walks of life. Some are involved in politics, changing unjust structures and fighting for justice for all. Those in the medical profession remember that there is an art to medicine as well as science; that warmth, sympathy and understanding may outweigh the surgeon’s knife or the chemist’s drug. Others are from the academe who do not see reading deficiencies or lesson plans before them but human beings who think and feel. They, and many more, are currently in the service of a 100-year-old disability and development organization, the Christian Blind Mission (CBM). One of CBM’s upcoming efforts is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on Dec. 3 this activity highlights CBM’s commitment to the multi-stakeholder movement in support of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to which the Philippines is signatory. The organization will be working closely with the National Working Committee assigned to the affair headed by Michael Barredo, a member of Akap-Pinoy and Philspada. The Dec. 3 event will be held at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall, starting at 7 a.m. Planned for the day are voting registration for persons with disabilities, an open forum to discuss disability issues and a variety show. Isabela Gov. Grace Padaca, a staunch support and advocate of the disability sector, will be a special guest. It was a hundred years ago when the determination and unwavering commitment of one pastor laid the foundations for a vacation that grew into one of today’s leading international disability and development organizations for persons with disabilities. Pastor Ernst Jakob Christoffel, founder and director of the CBM for many years, handled orphanages and homes for persons with disabilities in Turkey and Iran. His ministry lasted through two world wars and created a network around the world of concerned individuals who donated funds and aid to those in need in places the world had forgotten. The CBM was Christoffel’s passion which brought relief to persons with disabilities in Asia Minor.