Category: Recipient Stories

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...

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,...

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...

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...

Here in ICM, we have found that one of the best ways to promote economic growth among the poor is to empower women for greater productivity. In fact, 88% of our Transform participants are women. So it’s no coincidence that most of the stories that we have featured in our newsletters and social media are...

Few things give more hope in a season of great need than a thriving vegetable garden. As the pandemic drags on, ICM has committed to persevering, to not grow weary of doing good. To help communities have food security during the pandemic, ICM staff has been packing and distributing seeds so people can grow vegetable...

In the time of COVID-19, have you ever gotten to a point when it seems all hope is lost? Even the best of us get discouraged, especially during the pandemic, when everything is so uncertain! “I always have trouble finding food,” Pastor David told us. “Sometimes I feel hopeless.” Pastor David is one of our...

In the era of contact lenses and eye surgeries, eye problems may seem like a thing of the past, but for those living in ultra-poverty, vision issues can be an insurmountable challenge. Loreto, a 51-year-old farmer in Dipolog, is the primary breadwinner for his family. He works hard to not only provide for his family’s...

  We often say that a savings group can act as a safety net for when its ultra-poor members are facing emergencies. Janice in Dipolog lived this out when she and her family found themselves living in a pigpen. When Janice first joined Transform in 2017, she wasn’t so sure about the livelihood lessons. Wives...