Category: ICM Bases

ICM’s work in the communities would not be possible without the help of our frontliners in this pandemic — our staff and pastor network. Many of them found themselves at the forefront of this crisis, wearing multiple hats to bring help to the poorest of the poor. Here are just a few of the stories...

Many mothers from ultra-poor communities are housewives who are dependent on their husbands’ small incomes. The pandemic, which caused job and income loss, has made their situations even worse. Through ICM’s 2R (Refresh and Renew) program, we were able to help these women through a difficult time.   Catherine, a mother in her early twenties,...

Single mother Annafe has not had an easy year, but she is still holding onto hope! It is hard enough raising two children with no partner, and being pregnant during the pandemic made things even more difficult.  She moved in with her mother and father who both lost their jobs due to the lockdowns. The...

Scattered in small communities throughout the mountainous island of Negros Occidental are an indigenous people called the Ati. They are the first settlers of the island but being a small minority, they are seldom seen and almost forgotten. Like many other indigenous peoples, they are among the poorest in the Philippines, often experiencing neglect and...

In the fight against poverty, we are thankful for our local staff here in the Philippines. They are the ones at the frontlines, doing what it takes to reach communities in need. Most of them know first-hand the struggles our participants face. In fact, Jason of our General Santos base was even a participant in...

While these are common necessities to most, tubes of toothpaste can sometimes be scarce in households where the ultra-poor live. To help them develop healthy habits, part of ICM’s Transform program educates participants about proper hygiene. Since 1992, ICM has been in the business of transforming lives from a physical, social, and spiritual standpoint. Indeed,...

What do you do when the pandemic has wiped out your livelihood and you don’t know where your next meal is coming from? For Robina from Aklan, it is to keep on going and even find more ways to serve other people in these tough times. When tough times get tougher Even before the pandemic,...

Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads, Tatay, Papa, Amáy, Papang, Ama, Tatang in ICM and around the world! We appreciate your love and all the forms that you communicate it with: by loving our moms, working hard to earn money for our family’s needs, building and fixing things around the house, supporting us in...

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...