Category: Programs

Family Academy in Uganda starts now!

Educating preschool-aged children at home is a cost efficient and scalable way to help kids get the start they need on their educational journey. So over the next 12 months, 1,800 children will jumpstart their journey to excelling in school in Uganda, setting them on a trajectory to a brighter future.   ICM developed our...

He dreams of becoming a soldier, she a teacher. They walk two hours to school each day hoping to reach their dreams.

It is a blistering hot day. Rafaella and three of her six children navigate the forest where their house stood in the middle of nowhere. They walk about a mile more of muddy, uneven trail to reach the local church where an ICM staff waited to interview them. Rafaella’s daughter, Ella, was a Family Academy...

What started out with 16 members each contributing $0.18 cents weekly, has grown to 70 members with investments of over $5,000.

Elsie, a Transform participant and mother of four, started with an initial contribution of P10 to her Savings Group. Today, seven years later: ✓ she has a total savings of $138 ✓ received $73 in profit shares last December ✓ loaned around $55 for additional capital for their family business Most, if not all, of...

“Ma, I’m tired. Ma, I want to go home. Ma, I feel like I’m going to faint.” Mike-mike cautions his mother when he is not feeling well, which is often.

Unlike other kids his age, five-year-old Mike-mike is unable to run around and be active. He is easily fatigued and will faint or go into seizure when out of breath. Mike-mike suffers from a congenital heart defect—there is a hole in his heart and a blocked blood vessel, affecting how blood and oxygen travel throughout...

Teresa taught her children their ABCs. Despite poverty, she is hopeful they will one day reach their dreams.

Teresa lives in a small house with a dirt floor.  On one side of the room is a small cot, on the other is a makeshift kitchen with piles of charcoal and a cooker.  Her husband works in a small canteen in town; she spends her days caring for their three daughters and baby son....

Sustaining health, sustaining hope

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...

A mother’s sustainable future

Erlinda was left to raise her two children on her own when her husband died more than 10 years ago. They barely survived by reselling dried fish and other goods and snacks from their town market to their community. “I always ran out of budget for capital, and even a single peso was hard to...

Turning Life Around

Before the program, her life was mired in poverty, shame, and jealousy. To support her family, she works as hired help that includes cleaning, cooking, and laundry. Afraid to lose these opportunities, she’d head out immediately, which caused suspicion and jealousy on her husband Leonardo. In one of his jealous rants, Leonardo caused a scene...

A Transformed Mother Is a Transformed Family

Duweta felt desperate, not knowing how she could help supply the needs of her family. “I easily get discouraged every time we don’t have money to buy food,” she recalls. Every day, she sees her husband and son breaking their backs so they can put food on the table. Duweta wanted to do more despite...
Ready to start anew

Ready to Start Anew

It took Edna 17 years, and ICM’s Recover program to finally find healing. Now, she’s ready to start anew. Edna participated in a six-week program offered for Typhoon Odette victims back in 2021. Together with other victims, she learned not only to process the emotional and psychological trauma, but also to equip herself with the...