Tag: poverty

No Mountain too High, No Valley too Low

“Almost all of the children here were crying because they didn’t have food. Some families are large and suffer from hunger,” Pastor Silin told ICM staff. She is one of our thousands of partner pastors living and working in ultra-poor communities all across the Philippines. She had been hosting a Transform program in a remote...

ICM’s Research Published in Economist and New York Times!

ICM is pleased to announce that the six-month results of a large scale randomized controlled trial on ICM’s Transform program were released on February 19th as a National Bureau of Economic Research working paper. This paper was also reviewed by the Economist in the Feb 22nd print edition – read it here. The study was also mentioned in this article...

Loi Avila – Serving the Servants

As part of ICM’s 25th anniversary, over the next 12 months we will share monthly stories of ICM employees. Some employees have been with ICM for 25 years, some have only recently started with ICM. Regardless of an employees time at ICM and their role, they are all essential in bringing inspiring hope, providing help and...

Global Day of Parents

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...

No need for a scarf

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...

International Day of Families

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...

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...

Long Distance Education

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,...

Family Academy – Learning for all

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...

Jumpstart and ICM Graduations

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...