International Care Ministries, Philippines and Dr Milton Amayun
As the twelfth most populous country in the world, the Philippines is home to more than 100 million people. Despite robust economic growth in recent years, 25 million Filipinos still live in extreme poverty on incomes below US$1.25 per day.
At the absolute bottom of this economic ladder are seven million people struggling to survive in ultrapoverty on less than US$0.50 per day. ICM serves the ultrapoor in the Philippines. The population of the areas where ICM reaches is nearly 20 million people. Of those, 2.2 million people live in ultrapoverty on less than US$0.50 per day.
Transform: Learning in Community
A local pastor and six volunteers invite 30 of the poorest families in the community to join the weekly Transform training classes. This new network of support and encouragement becomes a safe place for learning to take hold.
Once a week, ICM Trainers teach a course designed to address common problems faced by poor families. At the end of four months, the whole community enjoys deeper relationships, healthier families, greater productivity and hope for tomorrow.
In 1992, a group of passionate Filipino pastors were moved by the extreme poverty they saw every day in their home city of Bacolod, Philippines. They started feeding and handing out medicines, and International Care Ministries was born.
For more than 25 years, ICM has been providing help, inspiring hope and creating change for families living in extreme poverty in the Philippines.
Over twenty-five years later, several of the founding pastors are still part of the local leadership. ICM now employs several hundred Filipinos who have reached over one million people with holistic transformation.
Living in ultrapoverty means living without hope. For children living on less than US$0.50 per day, every day is a struggle to meet even the most basic needs. One medical crisis can wipe out any progress made in the fight out of poverty. Transform’s health curriculum equips mothers to better provide for their children in the areas of hygiene, sanitation, disease prevention and nutrition Transform rescues children from malnutrition through feeding and provides medical interventions in emergencies.
ICM takes a chance on families that other organisations can’t or won’t reach. Their Vision is for ultrapoor families to be freed from physical, emotional and spiritual bondage. Among their key values are hope and spiritual life. They believe that all are made in the image of God and fulfilment is realised in relationship with God. Without compulsion, they invite people to consider the message of God’s love, forgiveness and grace. Hope is the key: progress out of poverty must start with the belief that change is possible. The biblical values taught during Transform foster attitudes and behaviours that result in strong relationships.
Dr Milton, from the Philippines, and his wife Raija, originally from Finland, met at the ICMDA conference in Switzerland in 1978. They were both new graduates from medical school and represented two countries from opposite ends of the globe. After a long and fruitful ministry with World Vision in multiple countries facing multiple challenges, they returned to the Philippines to work for ICM. Raija and Milton, based in Manila and now president of ICM, exemplify lives that value justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God, and assist individuals to be worshipers of the living God.
Visit www.caremin.com for more information.
