Tag: family

Maybe you’ve heard the name “Family Academy” or seen Facebook pictures of little kids pointing at numbered cards, but how much do you know about Family Academy? Before we explain the program, let’s first talk about the educational needs we’re trying to meet. As the Philippines government has expanded their educational reach, we have, happily,...

The Global Day of Parents is observed on the 1st of June every year. The Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 2012 and honors parents throughout the world. The Global Day provides an opportunity to appreciate all parents in all parts of the world for their selfless commitment to children and their...

Nineteen-year-old Gem had to stop attending school and enter the workforce the year she turned 13. One of seven siblings, Gem’s parents had separated when she was nine. Gem’s mother went to work in Manila, but would only send money home when she was employed. Gem’s father worked as a seasonal farmer, and his income...

The United Nations has declared May 15th as the annual International Day of Families.  The theme for this year’s day is: Families, education and well-being. The Day highlights the importance of all caregivers in families, be it parents, grandparents or siblings and the importance of parental education for the welfare of children. It focuses on...

Carrying her three-month old daughter, Arlyn walked four kilometers round trip to her weekly Transform classes. However, the 30-year-old did not mind travelling the long distance.  “I didn’t mind the difficulties because I wanted to learn,” said Arlyn. With four children, one of whom has cerebral palsy, it was tough for Arlyn to leave home,...

Mother-of-three Engely is delighted with the knowledge her daughter, Charmy Angel, has gained in the three weeks she has been attending ICM’s Family Academy. Engely hopes a stronger academic foundation will give Charmy Angel a confidence that Charmy’s older sister lacked when she started primary school. “I want my children to learn as early as...

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...

“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...

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...

‘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...