Category: Programs

Hope in Tough Times

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...

From Trouble Maker to Livelihood Trainer

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...
tubes of toothpaste

400,000 tubes of toothpaste donations from SWISS through The Amber Foundation

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,...

Cancer Warrior starts community store with savings group

How does someone deal with poverty and cancer during the pandemic? When sickness affects someone who’s living in ultra-poverty, it seems like a no-win situation. But stories like Maria Jery’s inspire us and give us hope.   When Maria Jery joined a savings group through ICM’s Transform program, she learned the habit of saving. However,...

Striving and Thriving in Hope even in the toughest of times

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,...

Teacher finds joy serving the ultra-poor

Because of the pandemic, distance learning has been the norm for all the students in the Philippines. While this has kept children safe from the COVID-19 virus, parents had to bear most of the responsibility for their kid’s education. To help ultra-poor families, ICM has partnered with the Department of Education for our Family Academy...

Extraordinary change amidst the pandemic

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...

Freakonomics Rebroadcasts Interview with ICM’s David Sutherland with Dean Karlan and James Choi

    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 in the New Normal

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...

Where the Heart is

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...