Ophthalmology Residency Scholarships
About Christian Blind Mission (CBM)
Christian Blind Mission (CBM) is an international development organization dedicated to assisting persons with disabilities. Founded in 1908 by Ernst Jakob Christoffel, CBM's mission is to break the cycle of poverty and disability and improve the quality of life of persons with disabilities in the poorest countries of the world.
According to the WHO World Vision Report (2019), a shortage of trained human resources remains one of the greatest challenges in expanding eye care services and reducing preventable blindness. In response, CBM's Scholarship Programme will award eleven (11) scholarships to doctors across Africa to pursue postgraduate Ophthalmology training in the 2025/2026 academic year.
Ophthalmology Residency Scholarships Package
The award covers:
- Tuition fees
- Monthly stipend
- Relocation costs
- Inpatient medical cover
- Attendance at an annual ophthalmology conference
- A set of ophthalmic instruments
Eligibility Criteria of the Ophthalmology Residency Scholarships
Applicants must:
- Adhere to CBM's core values, mission, and vision:
- CBM Mission & Vision
- Inclusive Health Initiative Principles
- Safeguarding Policy
- Obtain admission to a postgraduate Ophthalmology programme at one of the following universities:
- Addis Ababa University (Ethiopia)
- Kilimanjaro Christian Medical College (Tanzania)
- Mbarara University of Science and Technology (Uganda)
- Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (Kenya)
- Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (Tanzania)
- St Paul's Millennium Medical College (Ethiopia)
- University of Abomey-Calavi (Benin)
- University of Malawi, College of Medicine (Malawi)
- University of Nairobi (Kenya)
- University Teaching Hospital (Zambia)
- Commit to a service term agreement equivalent to the training years, serving in an underserved eye care facility in their country of origin.
- Be residents currently working in one of the eligible countries listed below.
🎯 Eligible Countries
Benin, Cameroon, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia
Qualities of Service Term Institutions
Institutions must:
- Be secondary-level eye care providers with infrastructure for medical and surgical services.
- Serve underserved and needy communities, preferably outside major cities.
- Provide support structures (including HR policies) to retain doctors during the service term.
- CBM partner institutions with human resource needs will be prioritized.
Application Procedure
Applicants must submit the following to [email protected]:
- Motivation letter
- Up-to-date CV
- Admission letter (or submit later once received)
- Signed service term agreement
- Signed consent form (provided with the announcement)
Deadline: 5th January 2026
Contact: [email protected] (Attention: Programme Manager)
