Life.Culture.Discovery.

Ultra-poor in Philippines living on less than 50 US cents a day get help from Hong Kong fundraising banquet and art auction

In the Philippines, the poorest of the poor, who live on less than 50 US cents a day, number in the millions. Many lack electricity and live with illnesses

A Hong Kong online banquet this month, whose main feature is an art auction, will raise money to train some of these ultra-poor and raise their living standard

Reading Time:2 minutes

“Flying Dreams” by Ombok Villamor. A Hong Kong banquet and silent auction of Filipino art like this piece will benefit NGO International Care Ministries, which raises funds to help the ultra poor in the Philippines. Photo: courtesy of ICM

Published: 3:15pm, 21 Oct 2021Updated: 4:14pm, 21 Oct 2021

Poverty is a broad term. The World Bank describes it as those living on less than US$3.20 per day. Below that is “extreme poverty” – people living on less than US$1.90. In the Philippines (population: 110 million), 25 million live in extreme poverty.

But further down the economic ladder are those living in ultra poverty – surviving on less than 50 US cents a day.

This is where International Care Ministries (ICM) enters the picture. For almost 30 years, the non-profit organisation has helped transform the lives of the ultra-poor.

“We do this by delivering the right support, the right training and the right resources to unlock the bondages of poverty,” says ICM chief executive officer David Sutherland.

For almost 30 years, International Care Ministries has been helping transform the lives of the ultra-poor in the Philippines. Photo: courtesy of ICM

And for good reason. ICM’s data paints a bleak picture.

“In the Philippines, 29 per cent of people living in ultra-poverty have no electricity, 43 per cent live with illnesses and 10 per cent of all children are clinically malnourished,” Sutherland says.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x