Posts by Bernadette Tan
For Pastor Ezekiel, only death can stop him from fulfilling his commitment to serve God
It is a demanding trek to reach Pastor Ezekiel’s home. There are vast green fields as far as the eye can see. Beyond that is his home.
Read MoreA mother’s sustainable future
Erlinda was left to raise her two children on her own when her husband died more than 10 years ago. They barely survived by reselling dried fish and other goods and snacks from their town market to their community.
Read MoreTurning Life Around
Joan proudly shows her business Before the program, her life was mired in poverty, shame, and jealousy. To support her family, she works as hired help that includes cleaning, cooking, and laundry. Afraid to lose these opportunities, she’d head out immediately, which caused suspicion and jealousy on her husband Leonardo. In one of his jealous…
Read MoreA Transformed Mother Is a Transformed Family
Duweta felt desperate, not knowing how she could help supply the needs of her family. “I easily get discouraged every time we don’t have money to buy food,” she recalls. Every day, she sees her husband and son breaking their backs so they can put food on the table. Duweta wanted to do more despite…
Read MoreReady to Start Anew
Edna ready to start anew It took Edna 17 years, and ICM’s Recover program to finally find healing. Now, she’s ready to start anew. Edna participated in a six-week program offered for Typhoon Odette victims back in 2021. Together with other victims, she learned not only to process the emotional and psychological trauma, but also…
Read MorePain and Loss Turned into Hope
Madina in front of her door Madina’s life in Uganda had been characterized by struggle, loss, and pain for many years. She became an orphan at a very young age. Her relatives denied her a chance at education. When she got married, her husband died at an early age, leaving her as the breadwinner of…
Read MoreCan a Soap Opera Help Alleviate Poverty?
Director Michal Joachimowski captures a scene in the soap opera where an ICM Transform trainer talks to a participant Films, books, and television have the power to influence culture in society. But could they be used to help alleviate poverty? International Care Ministries (ICM), a non-profit in the Philippines, is creating a 15-episode soap-opera to…
Read MoreA Long Road Ahead
Do poverty alleviation programs work in the long run? Evangeline’s story shows that they’re a good start The journey out of poverty is never a straight path. But it starts, as most journeys do, with the belief that the end is achievable, a firm decision to go, followed by one step after another. For Evangeline,…
Read MoreCoping with Depression and Learning to Recover
At 30 years old, Jill has already lost four children. Three of them died all at once in a river accident, while the other one died in her womb after being tangled and choked with the umbilical cord. In the midst of all the unfortunate circumstances, Jill found that learning to recover from her losses…
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