Category: ICM Bases

Climate resilience for poor Filipinos: The ultra-poor are often the most vulnerable to extreme weather and climate change. Many live in poor-quality housing with scrap walls and roofs. These homes are the most likely to be damaged by typhoons, heavy rain or strong winds. And with little choice about where they live, many of the...

CJ’s family cramps up in a worn-out house ravaged by Typhoon Odette in 2021. His father, Carmelo, faces immense challenges in providing for their family of six, as his income from fishing is not enough. With meager resources, CJ’s mother, Bernalyn, did her best to sustain her children’s health. But the lack of money prevented...

Madina’s life in Uganda had been characterized by struggle, loss, and pain for many years. She became an orphan at a very young age. Her relatives denied her a chance at education. When she got married, her husband died at an early age, leaving her as the breadwinner of her family. When she joined ICM’s...

Happy International Women’s Day! Today, we celebrate women making extraordinary impact by standing up to say, “I can be better. I will not remain in poverty!” Though she had lived in ultra-poverty all her life, Hazel was determined to succeed against all odds. At 33, and with four children, her journey with International Care Ministries...

At 30 years old, Jill has already lost four children. Three of them died all at once in a river accident, while the other one died in her womb after being tangled and choked with the umbilical cord. In the midst of all the unfortunate circumstances, Jill found that learning to recover from her losses...

  Merlie, a Transform participant from Zamboanga del Norte in Mindanao, believed that education was the best way she could leave a mark, so she dreamed of becoming a teacher. She eventually completed her teaching degree and felt proud of her achievements. “No one in school knew me until I graduated and was able to...

Building one’s savings needs consistency, but for ultra-poor families, it is difficult to even start saving with limited financial resources directed to their most basic needs. Ultra-poverty makes it impossible to spare an amount large enough to invest in a business, purchase materials for home improvement, or spend on things that would increase quality of...

For 53-year-old Diomedes, life has been one challenge after another. Born into a poor family, he had to drop out of school at a very young age to earn a living. When he started a family, his first son was born with special needs. In 2010, a live wire electrocuted him left him experiencing shortness...

Whenever a super typhoon hits the Philippines, the whole country comes together to help the stricken provinces. We send relief goods, clothes, water, and supplies. However, it takes more than relief supplies to recover from the devastation of a natural disaster, and it survivors need time to rebuild, to heal, and to recover. This is...

ICM’s vision has always been to reach the ultra-poor wherever they are, even in far away, hard-to-reach places. We want to find the marginalized who have been forgotten and left behind and bring them help and hope! That is why our goal is to saturate all of the Visayas and Mindanao so that our offices...