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 serving pastors and the local Filipino community.
ICM now works on the islands of Negros, Bohol, Panay, Palawan, Cebu and Mindanao, serving each year over 100,000 Filipinos who live in unspeakable poverty.
Helena Manguerra
