Empty Lot Transformed into Productive Garden
Ireneo Polison Jr. lives with his wife and three kids in a wooden house surrounded by coconut trees. Although he has suffered for years from rheumatoid arthritis, it did not stop him from working hard for his family as a part-time tailor, earning approximately Php500 (US$11.64) per week.
Determined to earn more income, Ireneo accepted an invitation to join the Transform Program through a local church in Bohol. In the program, Ireneo gained additional knowledge about how to develop a productive organic vegetable garden planting vegetables such as bokchoi, eggplant and squash.
In about two months, his empty lot was converted into a productive garden and Ireneo is now reaping the fruits of his labor! Instead of canned goods, Ireneo’s family now eats fresh vegetables everyday and he has notices improvements in his own physical condition. Ireneo is planning to expand his garden in order to plant more vegetables, sell the harvest to the community, and earn extra income for their family.
Earthquake rocks Central Visayas
Dear ICM Friends,
Sorry to say that another natural disaster has struck the Philippines and this one also hit ICM’s target provinces. You may have heard in the news that a 6.9 magnitude earthquake shook the central island provinces of the Philippines yesterday morning, triggering landslides. There have been hundreds of aftershocks. At least 43 bodies have already been recovered.
The earthquake was felt throughout many of the ICM target areas, including the areas around Bacolod, Dumaguete and Bohol and many of you have asked about the safety of our staff and programs. The experience was stressful for millions of people on these islands. People evacuated after tsunami warnings were issued. The aftershocks continued for more than a day, and people worried that buildings could collapse at any minute. But we are pleased to tell you that ICM’s staff, project partners and community recipients are safe. It appears that the most serious damage was confined to a few mountain towns. ICM works in thousands of communities, so we are still gathering responses from our communities. So far we have confirmed that church buildings in four of our partner communities were destroyed. And we will be working to help these communities. We feel grateful that most of our communities avoided the most serious damage in this round.
Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers for the poor in our areas. They are grateful for you too.
Dave Sutherland, ICM Chairman
ICM’s 1804 Young Graduates
Throughout the month of March, 1804 proud graduates of ICM’s 80 Learning Centers marched across the stage in their cap and gowns to receive their “diplomas”. The students finished their year of learning with formal graduation celebrations held in each region. Songs were sung, dances danced and poems and verses recited. And family members and friends clapped and cheered. Thank you to all the generous sponsors who made this possible.
ICM101: Programs in Action
Over 100 people from 10 different countries joined us in the Philippines for ICM101; a week long introduction course into the heart and soul of International Care Ministries. Participants sat in on classroom lectures where ICM Chairman, David Sutherland, shared ICM’s vision and strategies for changing the face of poverty in the Philippines in the areas we serve. Each ICM101er was trained by local ICM staff on how to teach a lesson from the Health & Livelihood Curriculum. The following day, ICM101ers experienced a day-in-the-life of an ICM staff member, traveling into the slums and rural communities where ICM works, and actually teaching their lesson to recipients.
ICM101 gave participants a chance to see our programs in action, as they interacted with local staff and recipients in the field. By the end of the week, the group had visited several slum communities, the ICM Children’s Shelter, several preschool graduation ceremonies, special medical cases, malnourished childrens’ outreaches and microfinance communities. It was a week to remember.
Photos by Erin Manfredi, ICM Media Officer
