Story from Helen Turner; ICM COO
When Wilma shared the news with the ICM Manila Office, they immediately took action. Wilma is ICM Manila’s accounting assistant. A fire had broken out in her neighborhood the night before that overtook 12 buildings and impacted 26 families. While her family was spared, one of her close neighbors didn’t make it.
For the next two weeks, ICM staff collected produce and school supplies for those families who lost almost everything. On December 13th, ICM staff members Wilma, Arthur, Emily, Lianie and Nepht visited the neighborhood and those affected by the fire to deliver the care packages.
As advised by the Barangay President, the affected families are still waiting for financial assistance from the Philippine Department of Social Work. The landowner does not have enough funds to rebuild their houses, so the families are unsure of what they will do in the mean time. Some families have started to rebuild with the small amount of resources they had available. Together with the Fire Brigade President, the ICM team was able to share the gift of Christmas giving with those in need.
