This International Women’s Day, ICM honors the world’s most nurturing members of society: Women. International Women’s Day is a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of brave, independent, loving, and amazing ladies.
International Care Ministries is a nonprofit empowered by women both in the office and out in the field. As part of the ICM staff, they take part in leadership decisions and operations in their respective communities in Uganda, Guatemala, and the Philippines. Mothers, daughters, sisters, and grandmothers make up 80% of the Transform participants in the communities we serve and 37% of our partner pastors are women. Whether they are serving or being served, they continue to bring hope, change, and transformation in the lives of people around them.
Here are some inspiring and encouraging stories of #WomenHelpingWomen here at ICM.
Deanna Sutherland, ICM Executive Director
Deanna sits at ICM’s core Development Team and runs the organization behind the scenes alongside her husband, David Sutherland. Deanna is an amazing communicator who has the ability to share ICM’s vision and impact like no other. Her words are so powerful and inspiring that she has been writing ICM’s annual report for many years. Her contagious sense of humor and compassionate spirit have kept our Hong Kong team energized for almost 20 years!
Katrina Dajes, ICM Guatemala Project Manager
Kat, born exactly on International Women’s Day, is an amazing woman who has had a heart for service since she was young. She started as ICM’s area secretary in Cebu and then helped to pioneer ICM’s national Family Academy program for pre-school-aged children and their mothers. Now, Kat is the Project Manager in Guatemala, with her dream of serving overseas coming true! She is on the front lines of bringing ICM’s programs to a completely new culture, learning Spanish as she goes, and leading a team of local Guatemalans.
Abigail, ICM Health Coordinator in Cebu
Abigail is a committed health worker who puts her heart into everything she does. Part of Abigail’s job is treating children suffering from malnutrition, and teaching mothers about how to protect their kids from all kinds of medical problems. She shares, “I love working with ICM because I have the opportunity to help people and be part of the transformation of their lives.”
Shelley Trebesch, PhD, ICM Global Chief of Staff
Shelley Trebesch is ICM’s Global Chief of Staff and runs our overseas expansions into Guatemala and Uganda. Her heart is to see ICM’s staff maximize their potential, and Shelley has run leadership development for ICM’s entire senior leadership. Aside from ICM, she continues with her life mission to help other people in their personal and professional growth as an active consultant, trainer, and seminar leader.
Roselyn, Transform Participant in Kalibo
About 80% of Transform participants are women. One of them is Roselyn. Roselyn received new seeds that she could plant in her backyard and produced more crops after she applied what she learned from the livelihood lessons in Transform. Now that she is earning more revenue and saving the energy she used to spend walking and carrying heavy vegetables, she’s able to help other women in her community start their own businesses, too. “I share the seeds I have so others could also plant and have something to harvest in the future. When somebody is asking me, I also share with them what I know,” she shares.
Minierva Lahaylahay, ICM Uganda Project Manager
Even before joining ICM, Minierva was already actively helping other women as a registered midwife by profession. She brought her medical experience to ICM as a volunteer medical staff where she eventually found joy and fulfillment in life. From a volunteer, she rose as an amazing leader to become ICM’s Bohol Area Head, and now is serving in Uganda bringing ICM’s strategies alongside local Ugandans.
Glenda, Savings Group Leader in Bacolod
Glenda is the Aktibo Savings Group leader who was proud of the grocery store they had started together. However, they lost so much since super typhoon Odette hit Bacolod in December 2021. Despite that, Glenda is doing her best to hold her savings group together by encouraging her fellow members to help each other recover. The local government gave them some building materials, enough to put up the frame of the store so they can start earning money again. Glenda is an inspiring example of #womanhelpingwomen.
Pastor Jennifer, Partner Pastor in Dumaguete
Of ICM’s 10,000 pastors, 37% are women. One of them is Pastor Jennifer. Aside from nurturing a church and sewing clothes for teachers and students, Pastor Jennifer takes care and provides for her mother. When she received her cash grant from ICM, she set aside some money to buy maintenance medicines for her mom. “I am very thankful to ICM’s Project Elijah for helping pastors like me in this time of crisis,” Glenda shared.
Charis Raya, ICM Strategic Partnerships Director
Charis Raya is a rising Global leader of ICM who spearheads Strategic Partnerships at the Hong Kong office. She specializes in connecting with funding institutions and other development organizations that empower ICM to continue and innovate in our work with the ultra-poor.
The world is a more beautiful place because of women who willingly offer their lives to lead, serve, and be an instrument of change and transformation in different ways. International Care Ministries celebrates the life of every woman in the world today. Happy International Women’s Day!