This month, ICM took part in Zero Extreme Poverty PH 2030’s 6th General Assembly Learning sessions on poverty alleviation programs— our Director of Education Anna Alegre was one of the speakers for the education learning session: From School to Home; How might we create a better normal in education; our Strategic Partnership team taking the lead for the financial inclusion learning session: Savings Groups and the Journey towards Financial Inclusion.
Zero Extreme Poverty PH 2030 (ZEP) aims to uplift 1 million Filipino families from extreme poverty by 2030. ZEP is a coalition of civil society organizations dedicated to working for the realization of a “Philippines where every Filipino enjoys the necessary goods that define and sustain human dignity, life, security, and engaged citizenship.”
From School to Home: How might we create a better normal in education?
This session was about creating a better normal in education for families living in extreme poverty; promoting inclusion and support and capacitating last-mile schools and parents as learning partners; and exploring collaborative opportunities among civil society organizations, government, and other stakeholders.
We know that the COVID-19 pandemic has made the situation of the ultra-poor a lot worse. Among the challenges that parents have to face is helping their children with their schooling. Before Anna began her talk, they showed a video of Gerard Adiong interviewing one of our Family Academy participants about their experience in helping their kids with their schooling.
Anna talked about how ICM supports parents as learning partners through the Family Academy. ICM supports two-generations when it comes to education because it is the most basic insurance against poverty. “Not everyone is a gifted teacher, but they learned to strengthen their parenting skills, which, in turn, developed confidence in young learners,” Anna shared.
You can watch the recording of the learning session here.
Savings Groups and the Journey towards Financial Inclusion
ICM’s Strategic Partnership team took charge of the third learning session and talked about financial inclusion through our savings groups. The session covered how the Savings Group is making an impact on poor communities, helping them earn money from their savings, and creating an environment where it helps increase their independence, and supports them in decisions regarding their family expenses. The roundtable discussion with HAPAG-Asa Nutrition Program of the Assisi Development Foundation and ERDA, including some community members shed light on the evidence of the Savings Group’s reach and effectiveness in supporting women. The discussion also challenged stakeholders to these informal groups to ensure that no one will be left behind.
“The three organizations in this session have a combined 120 years of experience in serving the poorest of the poor,” our Director of Strategic Partnerships Charis Raya pointed out. “Our paths may diverge, but the destination stays the same, that is to build financial resources and make real in the lives of the participants that for every peso they put in. To borrow Hapag Pagasa’s self-help group’s quote, ‘I can do it. We can do it. We are in control.’”
You can watch the recording of the learning session here.