The shift to distance learning during the pandemic has been difficult enough for most families, but for the ultra-poor, distance learning often feels like an impossible task. “Despite how motivated I am to help my children with their learning modules (assignments),  I have no way to help them because I’m uneducated myself,” confesses Tita, a...

“We will die of hunger first before COVID,” was the common statement we heard in our communities during the pandemic. They couldn’t go out and earn for their daily wage because of the community quarantines. What little savings they had in their savings group also dried up. Things were looking pretty bleak.  Studies made by...

After more than a year of being unable to gather in large numbers because of the pandemic,  Robinsons Land Foundation Inc. (RLFI) sponsored a meal-packing event in partnership with International Care Ministries and Rise Against Hunger Philippines last June 12, 2021. Strictly adhering to the pandemic protocols, 57 employee volunteers from Robinsons Land graciously dedicated...

    Poverty alleviation research is a huge part of ICM’s work with people living in ultra-poverty.  We are committed to the rigorous measurement of our programs. We track everything that happens on the ground. Data is important so we can learn and implement the most effective ways we can achieve the greatest impact to help...

Transform is back with some tweaks for the new normal. After an unprecedented year filled with challenges and constant change, we are pleased to bring back our core program that helps the ultra-poor improve every area of their lives. Over the next few weeks, our staff members are starting to run socially-distanced lessons in communities...

Here in ICM, we have found that one of the best ways to promote economic growth among the poor is to empower women for greater productivity. In fact, 88% of our Transform participants are women. So it’s no coincidence that most of the stories that we have featured in our newsletters and social media are...

Few things give more hope in a season of great need than a thriving vegetable garden. As the pandemic drags on, ICM has committed to persevering, to not grow weary of doing good. To help communities have food security during the pandemic, ICM staff has been packing and distributing seeds so people can grow vegetable...

Angel, ICM’s Family Academy coordinator in Dumaguete, first heard of ICM when the staff came into their community — Bayawan, Dumaguete — to conduct the Transform Program in 2015. “My father is a pastor and when we found out about ICM’s mission and vision, I was so happy to join Transform as a counselor,” she...

Padayon! Is the rallying cry of ICM through this pandemic. It is a Visayan word often used as an encouragement to keep on going, especially whenever times get tough. Pre-COVID, Pastor Jessie’s church in Banago, Bacolod City had 60-70 people at Sunday services, not including kids. In his 16 years as a pastor, Pastor Jessie lived...

In the time of COVID-19, have you ever gotten to a point when it seems all hope is lost? Even the best of us get discouraged, especially during the pandemic, when everything is so uncertain! “I always have trouble finding food,” Pastor David told us. “Sometimes I feel hopeless.” Pastor David is one of our...