Programs : Children's Programs

Children are often the most affected by poverty. ICM runs two programs to address the special needs of children at risk.

Preschools

ICM’s Preschool Program operates through local churches in the mountain and tribal areas of Mindanao. The public school system in Mindanao requires that its incoming 5-year olds students be able to read and write. Many poor children are excluded from their entire educational because they don’t have access to literacy education when they are very young. ICM provides a free pre-school program to underprivileged children, teaching them to read and write and thereby enabling them to enter to public school system. A too-common practice in Mindanao is for poor families to earn money by “marrying” their very young uneducated daughters into wealthier families. ICM’s Preschool Program opens doors of opportunity and hope for the next generation. In the past year, ICM ran four preschools in Mindanao. Each school has one teacher and 25 students. In March of 2006, 74 students graduated and were accepted into the local school system.

Children’s Shelter

Beginning in 2002, ICM opened the ICM Dumaguete Children’s Shelter, which currently houses and cares for fourteen children who have no other place to live. The children’s shelter is home to abandoned children, orphaned children and children with disabilities. It provides shelter, proper nutrition, and education for these children. This is especially beneficial for those children with physical handicaps who cannot easily attend public school. Most importantly, all of these children become part of a family who love and care for them, and nurture them in the knowledge of God.