ICM: About Us

International Care Ministries was founded in 1992 by Sharon Pastre, a Singaporean living in Hong Kong at the time. During a visit to Bacolod, Negros Occidental, to “spot check” the five pastors she supported, Sharon was struck by the juxtaposition between the overwhelming poverty she saw in the slums and the work she was doing as an interior designer in Hong Kong.

When a 21 year old woman with tuberculosis asked Sharon for a coffin and a burial site rather than medicine, she realized the helplessness, hopelessness and suffering of the poor. With her own personal funds and the help of two others from Hong Kong, Sharon organized an open air clinic and weekly food distribution for 200 children in Bacolod. Since then, ICM has grown to a ministry which serves hundreds of thousands of the poor each year.

Unspeakable Poverty

ICM now works on the islands of Negros, Bohol and Mindanao, serving those who live in unspeakable poverty.

The United Nations says that any person who lives on less than USD1.25 (Php58) per day is poor. In the Philippines, the poverty level is UD0.76 (Php38) per day.

• 27,626,888 Filipinos (33%) live below the poverty standard.

ICM reaches people who live at or below the Philippine subsistence standard of USD0.54 (Php27) per day. “Subsistence” means only enough income to pay for food, nothing else.

• 12,227,312 Filipinos (15%) live below the subsistence standard.

What does that look like?
Of the bottom 40% of Philippine society

• 29.8% do not have access to safe drinking water
• 88% do not have own-use faucets
• 26.9% have no access to toilets
• 44.1% do not have access to electricity
• 36.9% do not have owner-like possession of a home
• 45.2% live in homes made of lightweight materials

(Sources: National Statistical Coordination Board, Asian Development Bank)

ICM’s Unique Approach

ICM’s unique approach to addressing the problems of poverty is to partner with the existing infrastructure of the local Christian church that is found in most slum communities. These churches usually are, at best, struggling to even exist, but they often represent the only institutional support structure in the slum environment. These small congregations provide hope and help, to the extent they can, to the very poor families and single mothers struggling to survive in the slums. But because the churches are supported by the offerings of very poor people, there are never enough resources to meet the needs of the people in the community.

ICM’s role is to empower these local congregations to actively share the message of God’s love with those in their communities by providing programs which tangibly address the most serious problems faced by those living in poverty.

ICM employs nearly 200 local Filipino staff, most who come from similar environments as those they are serving. Without an external resource-consuming executive structure, virtually all contributions go directly to those providing services in the Philippines.

ICM’s Impact

ICM positively impacted more than 100,000 destitute lives in 2008/9.

• 182 communities received weekly classes in values and health care
• 3,146 families received 4 kilos of rice each week for six months
• 278,727 kilos of rice was distributed to the poor

• 2,783 medical clinics served 106,867 patients
• 2,600,854 doses of medicine were distributed free of charge
• 1,850 people received medical procedures through the Special Medical Case Funds
• 78 patients were treated at the TB residential care recovery shelter

• 38 preschools were operated, each running for a year
• 900 students graduated ready for first grade in public school
• 200,000+ meals prepared and served to preschoolers

Programs

In partnership with poor churches, ICM offers the following programs to bring help hope and change to the poor in the Philippines.