Category: Recipient Stories

When Elizabeth and Mary Ann, both residents in Mindanao, joined Transform, back in February, they had no idea how much help it would be during this difficult year, even though the program was forced to stop halfway through because of the pandemic.   Elizabeth has a large family with thirteen children, their spouses, and eight...

Week after week, month after month, COVID-19 forced Rhodora and her family of nine to stay at home. Problems threatened to overwhelm them. Rhodora’s husband lost his job. Food was scarce. The fear of the virus was always with them. “It is only by God’s grace that we survived,” Rhodora shared, thinking back over the...

Widowed and living with her two children and three grandchildren, Dolores had every excuse to lose hope. Only she and her son had jobs, and even with their combined income, they only had PHP19 (USD 0.40) a day per person to cover their daily expenses. But instead of faltering, she persevered and now her story...

Equipped with unwavering determination and a servant heart, 47-year-old Pastor Eliseo has changed the lives of many in the district of Mangorocoro, Iloilo, through his church and the Transform program. With 13 years of experience serving as a pastor and four years as a member of ICM’s Thrive pastor network Eliseo can unquestionably testify to...

Like many young men, 22-year-old Joey loves hanging out with his friends when not studying or working. But unlike his buddies, he couldn’t always work as much as he wanted. Since 2012, he suffered from a tumor under his ear that would swell and cause him throbbing pain any time he was too active or...

Melmar took a huge leap for love when she married Clino and moved away to Zamboanga more than thousand kilometers away from her hometown in Bicol. She had met her husband while working in Manila, fallen in love, married and eventually moved to Clino’s hometown. But the storybook ending started to unravel when the couple’s...

Dennis Kyle and Wen Heart come from very different parts of the Philippines but were brought together in Hong Kong to receive surgery for clubfoot. The boys have a lot in common, from their interest in soccer to their experiences with bullies. As a child, Dennis Kyle was called “bali paa” or “twisted foot” by...

Reniel started his life at a disadvantage. Abandoned by his father, Reniel is being raised by his mother Riza who earned income doing odd jobs. Amidst poverty and rejection, he was a healthy and happy baby, and Riza was excited to see her boy grow. However, when he turned  one, Reniel began to grow sickly...

Although Rhona’s savings group in Bacolod has only been running for two years, it has become hugely successful. The group, established during Transform, began by selling detergent powder and dishwashing liquid and then later transitioned into selling rice and fertilizer. Extending loans to its members is one of the group’s main functions, vital in a...

Tragedy seemed to follow Cristita. Four years ago, her husband died from kidney and liver problems. Her 30-year-old son, traumatized by troubles in life, could no longer work or even walk, sitting at home and rarely speaking. With her 26-year-old daughter unemployed, the burden of caring for her two children and one grandson fell on...