Over the weekend of March 30-April 3, ICM Jumpstart graduations were held across seven ICM bases. Dressed in caps and gowns, 2, 275 children marched across the stage, shook their teacher’s hand and received their diplomas. It was a happy and memorable way to close the children’s chapter of Kindergarten studies and move ahead to the...
Monday, April 24th, 2017 at 4:35 pm
The theme of 2017’s World Health Day was Depression. Depression is the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide. According to the latest estimates from WHO, more than 300 million people are now living with depression, an increase of more than 18% between 2005 and 2015. Evidence indicates that depression is 1.5 to two...
Monday, April 10th, 2017 at 6:15 pm
“I never thought the program would be this fun,” said Jeramie of ICM’s Transform program. Jeramie had many reasons why she was too busy to attend Transform: she was working in the fields with her husband and helping earn money for the family, she was pregnant with her third child and taking care of her nephew whose...
Tuesday, March 28th, 2017 at 4:29 pm
World Water Day is held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of clean water. Amongst the people ICM works with in the Philippines, there is a lack of easy access to clean water and proper sanitation. As a result, unpurified water (over 50% of families in ICM areas don’t...
Wednesday, March 22nd, 2017 at 3:38 pm
‘Crooked Arm’ was the name Kim-kim’s classmates called him in the schoolyard. It was an unsurprising nickname – the six-year old’s dislocated elbow hung at an obvious and uncomfortable angle. The bullying didn’t stop with name calling; unable to defend himself, Kim-kim was pushed around and roughed up in the schoolyard as well. It got...
Monday, March 13th, 2017 at 9:46 am
The world celebrates International Women’s Day on Wednesday, March 8. Empowering women to address social, economic and political challenges remains a goal of the United Nations. Alongside a full respect for human rights, women need to be seen as equal partners with men in achieving sustainable development, peace, and security. Approximately 97% of ICM’s Transform participants are...
Wednesday, March 8th, 2017 at 10:45 am
Jennifer thought her ten-month-old son Kian James, was healthy. Kian’s father works on a farm, and his meagre income means the family often does not have enough food to eat. Still, Jennifer thought her son was growing and doing well. However Kian was exhibiting troubling indicators – his eyes were sunken, his skin was dry,...
Wednesday, February 15th, 2017 at 12:14 pm
“I realized you have changed, so I should change too.” When Rexmar spoke these words to his wife Diana, she realised the lessons she had learned had affected more than her mind and heart. Diana’s personal motivation earned her a spot in ICM’s Transform program. When she overheard a pastor inviting a neighbor to attend the...
Sunday, February 5th, 2017 at 10:09 pm
Life is tough for Maricel. Her family lives in ultra poverty. Maricel and her husband are rice field laborers and earn a combined monthly income of US$22.22/PHP1,000, well under what is needed to provide for their family of four. Maricel didn’t graduate from elementary school – her parents had been unable to pay for her...
Wednesday, February 1st, 2017 at 9:28 pm
In 2016, we celebrated the graduation of our 750,000th Transform family member. Her name is Mary Sunshine and her story is told in this video: Mary Sunshine and her family live in ultrapoverty. Mary Sunshine’s husband, Ryan, earns about US$34.88 (PHP 1,500) per week working with tires, not nearly enough to look after the small family’s financial needs....
Monday, January 9th, 2017 at 3:37 pm