Category: Stories

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...

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,...

“What we do here tonight does matter — not just for the immediate needs of this day, but for transforming thousands of tomorrows,” ICM CEO David Sutherland opens his Keynote message at the Annual Sydney Fundraising Banquet entitled “Standing on Hope” held at the Aqua Luna Waterfront Dining last June 4. While the world continues...

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,...

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...

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...

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...