Meeting Great Need with Greater Impact: How ICM Transforms Families from Ultra-Poor Communities

The Issues of the Heart

Before our program, 27% report they feel so depressed. 39% were feeling worthless. “Nothing could cheer them up.”

These numbers represent real people. Real stories. Real pain.

Transform changes this narrative. In communities across the Philippines, we bring 30 families together. Local pastors, who know their struggles firsthand, walk with them through a four-month journey of hope and possibilities.

After Transform, 40% more participants report having neighbors they can rely on during emergencies. What starts as a training program becomes a network of support. And this is essential for breaking free from poverty.

Education

Only 17% of our participants graduated high school. That’s where Family Academy steps in.

We believe early education creates lasting change. Parents become their children’s first teachers. The results: children’s math proficiency jumps from 4% to 60%.

This is where the data tells an even bigger story. Oxford University’s research confirms that Family Academy delivers double the impact of other pre-school programs, at a fraction of the cost.

Health

Every year, 60,000 Filipino children die before their fifth birthday. The sad reality is that these deaths were from preventable causes: diarrhea, pneumonia, malnutrition, tuberculosis.

ICM’s response is clear: we’ve cured 14,052 children from clinical malnutrition and resolved 4,077 cases of TB. Like Jessa’s children, who were once malnourished, thousands of families now have access to basic healthcare through ICM.

Through our network of 1,538 Community Health Champions, we bring healthcare directly to communities. Each champion maps and monitors families through ICM’s smartphone app, providing ongoing care to 91,912 people – all for less than $10 (P580) per person annually.

Economic Opportunity

For ultra-poor families, lack of money means difficult choices. Parents often skip meals. Some are forced to put their children to bed hungry 1-2 times a week.

ICM’s solution combines business training with savings groups. Today, 4,989 savings groups are actively saving together. That’s over 600,000 family members who now have savings. For many of them, this is their first time ever having savings.

The impact? Together, these groups have saved $6.1 million (P355.8 million). All from people living in ultra-poor communities.

Each family’s journey starts with learning to save a little each week. What begins as a few pesos grows into life-changing possibilities.

From building hope through Transform to enabling first-time savings. From preventing childhood deaths to preparing children for school. ICM’s approach in these four areas addresses the complex challenges of the ultra poor.

Today, Jessa’s story has a different ending. Her children are healthy.

But she’s not alone.

ICM has now reached over 2 million beneficiaries across the Philippines. This covers 71% of the Visayas and Mindanao population.

JD Bauman, director of Christians for Impact who leads research on global charity effectiveness, wrote: “ICM is an outstanding option for donors seeking confidence that their donations have a meaningful impact on those in extreme poverty. If I could only donate in 2024 to one Christian anti-poverty charity, ICM would be it.”

Indeed, we see great need. You have co-labored with us to create great impact. And now, we’re seeing transformation one life at a time.