Tag: Business

Absolute Beginner

With an infant at home, Angie was hesitant to agree to attending ICM’s Transform program. She thought the responsibilities of motherhood and the unpredictability of babies would make it too difficult to attend the weekly sessions. However, Angie was excited at the opportunity of changing her family’s income and signed up for the program. The...

Shifting the Darkness

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...

Hands-on Learning

“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...

A Mother’s Awakening

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...

International Women’s Day

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...

Hidden Assets

Amie wasn’t convinced that attending an ICM Transform program would benefit her. She expected the Transform program to be filled with a few ineffective lectures and a bit of cash distribution and to have no lasting worth.   After starting the Transform program, Amie’s early fears were proved wrong and she realized her perspective and attitude...

Clementina’s Will for Change

Once she made the decision to attend ICM’s Transform program, Clementina never wanted to miss a lesson. She organized her life so that she would be able to attend the lessons and still have time to take care of household chores, her children and her disabled husband, Sulpicio. Clementina really enjoyed the livelihood lessons, particularly the...

The Truths Only Super Mom Knows

“I’m tired of being a mother.” With five children at home and an unemployed, unmotivated husband, Cheryl spent most of her days desperately trying to find a way to feed her family of six. Selling oysters, when she could find them, was Cheryl’s only job, but most days, she found only the rising tide of...

Spreading Seeds For The Future

Merlyn joined ICM’s Transform program with the full support of her family, particularly her husband, Joel. The couple decided they would divide the household chores between them and he would care for their three children when Merlyn was attending Transform classes. Merlyn worked hard to complete her domestic tasks in the morning so that she...

Growing the family business

As a child, Gerlie wanted to attend school. Even at a young age, she knew that education was important. Gerlie’s parents, however, refused her request for an education because there was no money to cover the costs of transportation, shoes and the school uniform. Wanting to escape the demands of her family, Gerlie married her...