fbpx

Cart

  • USD $
  • HKD $
  • CAD $
  • AUD $
  • EUR €
  • GBP £
  • PHP ₱
  • SGD $
Total
US $0
Checkout

Oops! Your cart is empty

View great gifts
  1. Home
  2. Blog
  3. Unceasing Hope
ICM Bases

Unceasing Hope

Widowed and living with her two children and three grandchildren, Dolores had every excuse to lose hope. Only she and her son had jobs, and even with…

Widowed and living with her two children and three grandchildren, Dolores had every excuse to lose hope. Only she and her son had jobs, and even with their combined income, they only had PHP19 (USD 0.40) a day per person to cover their daily expenses. But instead of faltering, she persevered and now her story serves as an inspiration for other single parents. Dolores ran a sari sari (small home-based grocery) store in Palawan even before joining the Transform program. However, even though she had income from her store, her methods were inefficient and ineffective. She would walk vast distances on dusty, unpaved roads to just to buy vegetables and had no strategy for introducing new products or increasing sales. With the Garden-in-a-Box kits and training that ICM provided, Dolores learned to plant vegetables in repurposed containers, saving time, energy, and cost in traveling to buy them. In addition, Dolores learned how to make puto cheese, banana chips, and detergent, further adding to the variety of goods that she sells in her sari sari store. Thanks to the program, she began to sell her snacks in bulk, providing food for various events and parties, further augmenting her income. As a result of her unceasing hope, trust in God and with the help from Transform, Dolores is now able to sufficiently support her family. Overjoyed at the progress she has made, Dolores said, “I would like to say thank you to the ICM staff and to everyone who supports the Transform program. Thank you, and God bless you all.” Written by Andrea Lui

About the author

Bernadette Tan

Deputy Director of Communications Bernadette is a communications graduate who has spent the past 20 years serving in various international non-profits. She is a passionate storyteller and an eternal optimist. Bernadette loves spending time in disadvantaged communities, listening to families, and giving them a voice through her writing.

Did you know? ICM delivers Transform for just over US$10 per person.

Consider your support

Please partner with ICM today to bring help, hope and change

Donate Now

Learn more about ICM

Melvie’s journey to food business success

  • 19 January 2026

Healing, hope, and a little boy’s future

  • 19 January 2026

Ryan’s Story: How Surgery Transformed a Young Life

  • 24 October 2025

When Sustainable Development Meets Transformative Hope

  • 23 September 2025

Supporting Transformation: Eastern Communications’ Partnership with ICM

  • 23 September 2025

The ICM community is full of people who care about effective, efficient, research-backed solutions in the fight against ultra-poverty. We would love to have you join us!

Stay in touch

Stay up-to-date on news, programs, and more by joining the ICM community.