Serving the Poor Since 1992
Photo by Brian Yen
Teaching essential life skills through a supportive, community-based approach, ICM unleashes unfulfilled potential in impoverished communities. We partner with local leaders from 2,500 slums to empower more than 100,000 people every year to fight the bondage of poverty. After participating in our transforming values, health and livelihood training program, our families experience a 42% reduction in reported physical abuse, a 26% reduction in serious illness and a 33% increase in household income. ICM provides help, inspires hope, and creates change.
Kids Camp 2012
“I traveled from an earthquake affected area in Ayungon,” said Christy. “It took 4 hours to arrive here.” Christy was one of 134 kids who attended Kids Camp 2012 which was offered to kids from the communities that were severely affected by the two major natural disasters that hit Dumaguete this year. A few children traveled as far as 60 miles to get there!
The kids were divided into “families” led by parents from HK, Australia and the UK, who gave up their holidays to participate. For four action packed days the teams enjoyed sports, games, crafts and Bible lessons while competing for first place by singing their team chants. Christy was on the Purple Pandas Team and told us, “My favorite thing to do at camp was sports games!” It was a fun filled week for all!
Please enjoy our Kids Camp Recap Video below!
Celebrating 20 Years of Help, Hope & Change
A jubilant crowd laughed and cried through the ICM 20th Anniversary Celebration evening as we shared 20 powerful stories of lives that have been dramatically changed over the last 20 years of ICM’s operations. One of the highlights of the night was the surprise guest appearance by “Philippine Idol” winner, Jude Matthew Servilla, a previous ICM feeding recipient with an amazing voice.
Susan Entong, an ICM recipient who spoke at our 2008 banquet, also shared her story of forgiveness and hope. Susan endured horrible burns on her face and body when her father threw a kerosene lamp at her. After numerous reconstructive surgeries provide by ICM, Susan now lives at ICM’s Excel House and is a star student in public school. She plans to be a social worker when she grows up and is well on her way to fulfilling that dream. Her extraordinarily optimistic view of life left an indelible mark on many of us.
It truly was a night full of celebration! For those of you who were not able to attend, please enjoy these photos and this short video reflecting on ICM’s amazing 20 year history:
Medical Outreach in Devastated Areas
ICM staff in Dumaguete, led by Area Head Pastor Sam Templado, joined local doctors, dentists, pastors, and even the Filipino military to provide medical aid, dispense medicine, offer counseling and even provide free haircuts! to thousands of those traumatized by devastation of Tropical Storm Washi and the earthquake following quickly on its heels one month later. Thank you to the World Relief Committee of Highland Park Presbyterian Church in Texas and the many others whose donations made this possible.
Update: Life After Storm Washi
In the three months since Tropical Storm Washi hit the Philippines, ICM has been touched by your outpouring of gifts, donations and prayers for those affected. Because the poor are always the most vulnerable during disasters, ICM had to respond quickly to the needs of Washi’s victims. Due to your generosity, within a week ICM was able to mobilize people and resources to provide life-saving packages of rice, canned food, bottled water and other necessities. Thank you for making this possible.
ICM’s Communications Officer in Dumaguete, Gerard Adiong, turned in the following account of one of the families hardest hit by the storm:
Tropical Storm Washi (or Sendong, as it is know locally) was the world’s deadliest storm in 2011. The typhoon and the resulting flash floods killed over a thousand people, destroyed countless homes and left survivors in desperate need. ICM recipients Joseph and Virna Cadalin and their six kids lived in one of the disaster areas. Their seven-year old son and six-year old daughter are ICM Elementary Scholars.
Typhoon Sendong hit the province at dawn and the household of Joseph and Virna Cadalin was caught unaware. Joseph was changing the baby’s diaper when the creek near their house suddenly rose. Joseph and Virna each grabbed two of the younger children and quickly sought shelter on higher ground, yelling for their two older children to follow. Thirteen year-old Evangeline ran to the pig pen and twelve-year old Ray ran back inside the house. As Joseph and Virna and the four children they carried reached safety, they looked back and could only helplessly watch as the floodwaters rose, sweeping away the house and their other two children.
Upon hearing of the Cadalin family’s loss, Pastors Noli Gallego and Samuel Templado, ICM Dumaguete’s Area Head, went to visit the grieving family. ICM Dumaguete came alongside the family to provide emotional and spiritual support, as well as financial assistance for the burial of Ray and Evangeline and for building materials for a new home. Joseph used the assistance to build a small cottage several meters from where their house once stood. The Cadalin Family expressed their deep thanks to ICM staff for help and support in their time of greatest need.
Lilian Bardinas, ICM’s Strategic Department Head in Dumaguete, was one of those who was also deeply affected by the storm. Back in January, we shared Lilian’s story about her wedding day, which proceeded in spite of the storm washing away her home. Instead of a honeymoon, she spend the days after her wedding digging out what belongings she could find. Lilian and Eduardo’s story was covered internationally by CNN. (CLICK HERE TO VIEW VIDEO SPOTLIGHT)
Here’s an update from Lilian:
“Many people ask me, ‘Why did you continue with the wedding?’ I tell them, ‘There’s no reason not to continue the wedding because God preserved the two of us even though the strong typhoon washed away all our earthly possessions and our house. The loss of all our material things will never be the reason to stop life. We have each other to share and to love. There is still hope, there is a reason to celebrate, there are still many good things that are yet to come…”
Not long after the storm, Lillian was interviewed on a local television show. During the interview Lilian and Eduardo explained that it is not only material things that count in life but really that what matters most is our relationship with God. At the end of the interview, Lilian and Eduardo were surprised with a 4-day honeymoon vacation in Boracay, a highly popular vacation spot in the Philippines!
We thank the Cadalin Family and Lilian & Eduardo for sharing their stories with us. They represent two out of thousands of families affected by the storm.
Congratulations, Kindergarten Graduates!
Nearly 1800 excited students proudly received their diplomas during graduation week after completing their year of learning at one of ICM’s 80 Kindergartens. These formal graduation celebrations were held in each region so family members and friends could come and cheer their student as they walked across the stage. There was much to celebrate as songs were sung, verses recited and awards given. Thank you to all the generous Kindergarten Sponsors who made this possible!
2,822 Fuller Tummies, Thanks to You!
Children from 2,822 poor families in the Philippines are going to bed will fuller tummies! That’s how many ICM program participants recently graduated from the 16-week Transform program, where they learned organic farming skills, better health practices and the power of positive values. 4,454 family and community gardens were started, and Php166,783 extra income was earned! Thank you for making this possible through your support of these families. Enjoy these photos of some very proud gardeners!
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.
Milestone for Red Rope: They’ve become an independent cooperative!
It looked just like any other Christmas Party in the Philippines – women and children playing games, eating sweets and singing songs. But for the women of Red Rope, this was a very meaningful party. This was the first Christmas Party they had ever thrown at their own expense! And second, this month Red Rope was certified by the Philippine government as an independent cooperative!
Red Rope is a handicraft livelihood initiative of ICM. It started in 2006 when ICM-HK hoped to auction a handmade quilt at the 2nd HK ICM Banquet. Twelve ICM recipients, formerly from the Precious Women Ministry (for women leaving prostitution), were commissioned to hand-sew the quilt. It was beautiful and sold for HK$70,000 at the auction!
Now, 6 years later, Red Rope has become a self-supporting livelihood for 22 women, all of whom have been participants in an ICM program. Red Rope’s number one client is ICM, making all ICM’s Jumpstart school uniforms, ICM Teddy Bears and table prizes offered at ICM banquets. Red Rope items are also sold at fairs in Hong Kong and offered for sale by ICM partner NGOs at venues in the USA.
ICM COO, Helen Turner, who was a guest at the Red Rope Christmas party, says, “What an honor it was to be invited. The ladies beamed as they welcomed guests, even paying the taxi fares of those that arrived — for the first time able to give and not just receive. It was a joy to celebrate with them!”
Photos by Heather Elliott, ICM Media Officer
Christmas Celebrations
Three ICM staff members, Annie Tapuz and Laila Natapol from the Bacolod office, and Heather Elliott, from ICM’s HK office, got into the spirit of celebration this Christmas by hosting several celebrations for different groups in Bacolod City. In the Philippines, celebrations are an important part of the culture, creating unity and a sense of community for those who participate. The poor are often excluded due to the cost involved.
The festivities began with a celebration with the ICM Children’s Choir and their families. The Choir first shared their Kennedy Center performance with their parents – for many of them it was the first time they’d seen it and Heather attested, “There was not a dry eye in the room.” Afterwards, out came the food – Heather, Annie and Laila had prepared a traditional holiday feast that consisted of spaghetti, fried chicken, hotdogs with marshmallows, fruit salad & chocolate cake. Next came the individually wrapped care packages for each of the 14 families with enough food for their Christmas dinner.
The celebration continued the next day at the ICM Excel House. The Excel House is home to 18 children cared for by ICM. Heather explained, “Over the last couple of years, the ICM orphanage has been truly blessed by the support of their donors. So this Christmas they wanted to give back to other communities in need. On Christmas Eve, the Excel Children hosted a Christmas party for children living in the surrounding slum communities, where they cooked them a Christmas Eve dinner and handed out an additional 54 care packages to take home.”
Irish, one of the Excel Kids, shared her excitement about the day’s events: “In the morning we went to worship the Lord for giving us life to celebrate his birth and for the love he sacrificed at the cross. We all prayed then exchanged and opened our gifts. Then we ate our first Western-style meal. Everyone was so excited to eat turkey for the very first time! It looked yummy but when Auntie Ness cut it, she found out that it needed more cooking! So we ate it later instead. We did lots of dancing and eating. Everyone had so much fun! We thank God for giving us good health & lots of blessing!”
Photos by Heather Elliott, ICM Media Officer
