Story by Helen Turner, ICM Co-CEO Early on a Thursday morning in February we set out, off the coast of El Nido heading up to one of the remotest island locations in the Philippines, the Island of Cagbuli. Twenty-five visitors in El Nido on “Vacation With a Purpose” had chosen to take the two and half hour boat ride...

Alex Kim, who lives in Singapore and studies in the US, partnered with ICM to “Join the Journey” by volunteering his time and spending a month with our staff on the ground in Dumaguete. Here are excerpts from his trip summary: “My spell in Dumaguete has been nothing short of amazing, I’ve learnt many things during my stay...

Judilyn Yangco and Susan Entong grew up in some of the most challenging and heartbreaking circumstances conceivable. Judilyn, abandoned by her parents, was the breadwinner for her three siblings at the age of nine and almost died from TB. Susan’s father, drunk one night, threw a kerosene lamp which burned Susan’s face, arms and neck...

Graduation is upon us – around 2,315 Jumpstart Kindergarten graduates are in their last week of school and are busy preparing for their graduation ceremonies.  These kids have completed a full year of reading, writing and arithmetic and have fulfilled all the requirements for entry into public school first grade. Enjoy some pictures from the last...

The Hualde family lives in a squatter area in San Isidro Lagao, General Santos City. Their house is made of scrap materials and is built on lowland, prone to flooding. In early January 2013, heavy rain had caused floodwater to reach knee level inside their home. Arlene Hualde, a housewife and an ICM Transform Program...

“What is the future of fun? On Saturday 24th November, 2012, over 800 people gathered at the third annual TEDx Hong Kong event to discuss just that; how, where and why do we have fun? How are fun, recreation and happiness developing lives, careers and communities? The ways that humans are enjoying themselves are about...

“Every young person, rich or poor, needs a good teacher who doesn’t only provide knowledge but helps build up a whole person.”– Minori Nagatomo Minori’s world was “shattered” when she experienced children living in poverty as a high school student, and it was at this early age that she decided to dedicate her life to...

ICM was recently mentioned in an article in Playtimes Magazine’s January 2013 Issue, proposing readers to consider spending their next family holiday helping others.  Our very own Tess Lyons, from the ICM HK Office, shares her own story about how she and her family got involved with ICM after attending the ICM HK Banquet, “I knew...

ICM was thrilled to participate in two Christmas Fairs this past weekend at Island ECC & Union Church – offering an array of hand crafted items from our very own Red Rope Project, featuring silk cushion covers, ornate tree ornaments, cards, notebooks and more!  Red Rope is a certified co-op for women in the Philippines who have escaped prostitution and provides...

Brad and Melody Landes reinforced that it is better to give than receive, while reading a Christmas card from ICM.  For the past three years, the Landes’ have sponsored an ICM Jumpstart Kindergarten in General Santos. Their generosity allows between 25-35 children to achieve a solid educational foundation which will allow them entrance to government...