Photo from Regenesys BPO (now Transform Engine) — Watch Video
Today is Good Friday.
In the Philippines and in Christian tradition this is one of the most sacred days of the year. A day to reflect on sacrifice, restoration, and what it means to lead from love rather than fear.
This week's issue explores sustainable livelihood, transformational employers, and bridging faith and tech. Fitting themes for Holy Week.
For those celebrating Easter this Sunday, may it be a reminder that restoration is always possible.
— Christeen
A PROBLEM WORTH SOLVING
How might we create sustainable livelihood for families in the Philippines?
The Philippines has one of the most hardworking populations on earth. It also has one of the most heartbreaking wage gaps.
Here are the numbers I can't stop thinking about:
The minimum wage in most provinces covers only 30–36% of what a family actually needs to survive — food, rent, school, medicine (IBON Foundation, 2024)
42–56% of Filipino workers (between 20 to 35 million people) have no employment contract, no benefits, no safety net (PSA Labor Force Survey)
38.5% of Filipino students went to school hungry, one of the highest rates of any country measured by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA , 2022)
You probably know someone in every one of these statistics.
The root cause is not laziness. It’s a system designed to keep wages low and opportunity scarce.
The system was built this way. Which means it can be rebuilt.
How might we build companies that are a generational blessing to those who work for them?
AN EXPERIMENT WORTH TESTING
What if companies restored people instead of burnt them out?
Sam Dharmapala left a career in global finance (Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan, Anglo Irish Bank) to build something most people in his world would never consider.
Transform Engine employs survivors of human trafficking and sexual slavery in the Philippines and Nepal, training them in 3D modeling, digital media, and complex visualization technology. Not charity work. Real, skilled, in-demand jobs.
Over 80% of their 350+ staff come from their target demographic: survivors of slavery and abuse.
Here is what blows my mind about Transform Engine:
When employees were asked to compare Transform Engine against other positive influences in their lives, the company was found to be more influential for their growth than family, friends, and intimate partners.
That is not a stat about productivity. That is a stat about restoration.
Amanda, a Team Leader at Transform Engine, was rescued after being trapped in sexual slavery for two years. She has been with the company for ten years. In her own words:
"Despite the bad things that happened in my past, working here showed me that it does not define my future."
Sam's company is a Praxis portfolio company, which is how I first came across it. It is one of the most compelling examples I have seen of what redemptive entrepreneurship can look like in the Philippines and beyond. Not a program. Not a CSR initiative. A business model built around human dignity. Learn more at transformengine.com/about
For those of you who employ teams in the Philippines, or are thinking about building one, I invite you to sit with one question:
What would it look like for your company to be a generational blessing to the people who work for you?
Here are seven ideas from the Praxis Redemptive Business Playbook © 2024 Praxis (praxis.co):
Steward people for and beyond the work. Start with uncommonly thoughtful hiring. Design roles and development paths that balance individual goals with business needs. When someone isn't succeeding, act quickly — first adjusting internally, and if necessary, guiding and supporting them generously in moving on.
Cultivate a "high excellence, high grace" culture. Speak truth in love. Give feedback that is honest, developmental, and honoring not just corrective.
Guard your culture actively. Celebrate stories of mission-aligned action from every level of the org. Privately but firmly address exploitative behavior regardless of seniority.
Honor people through your HR practices. Bias toward generosity in compensation, benefits, agreements, and resources. Extend trust so people can commit wholeheartedly to their work.
Search beyond default talent sources. Build genuine diversity of experience, gender, ethnic heritage, and viewpoint at every level not just for performance, but because it reflects the full picture of human dignity.
Welcome the whole person. Create space for the expression of faith and ultimate beliefs, non-coercively. The spiritual lives of your team members are not separate from their professional lives.
Practice sustainable work rhythms. Encourage rest, disconnection, and generous leave especially for parents and caregivers. Model it from the top.
This remains a work in progress for me and our company.
If you're just starting out, pick the one that feels most urgent. If you're further along, pick the one you've been avoiding.
Either way, try something new in the next four to six weeks. Tell someone you trust about it. Or if you want, reply here and tell me.
Let's experiment and learn together.
A BUILDER WORTH KNOWING
Darren Allarde — Bridging Faith and Tech
Darren Allarde is a Filipino American entrepreneur based in Silicon Valley. He founded a gaming company, exited, became a pastor and then went back to building with a deep conviction that technology can bless the world.
The first product: Seedling, a B2B platform that helps churches and faith-based organizations track, follow up on, and pray for every prayer request in their community. It also gives leaders AI-powered insights into the deepest needs of their people.
Last year, Dream Bigger hosted Darren and his cofounder Amar in Manila for a Builders Immersion Trip. As a result of the trip, they onboarded three Filipino ministries to the Seedling platform. In the team’s own words: “The Philippines isn't just another market. It's the beginning of a movement.”
This week, Darren and his team launched a new faith app called Glass: https://theglass.app.
Check it out and tell me what you think! I’ll pass along the feedback to Darren.
A PRACTICE WORTH CONSIDERING
What’s your ONE thing?
Most of us wear many hats. We switch between tasks all day — responding, creating, managing, deciding.
One focusing question that has been helping me lately:
What is the ONE thing I can do such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?
This is from The ONE Thing book Gary W. Keller and Jay Papasan and it has quietly become one of the most useful filters in my daily work.
How would you answer this question today? What’s your ONE thing?
"Anyone who dreams of an uncommon life eventually discovers there is no choice but to seek an uncommon approach to living it."
GOT SOMETHING WORTH SHARING?
How Might We? is a community newsletter.
If you are building something in or for the Philippines, running an experiment worth talking about, or know a founder who deserves a spotlight, I’d love to know. Just reply to this email. The best ideas in this newsletter will come from the people reading it.
How might we build this together?
How Might We? is published every other Friday. To share this with someone building, hiring, investing in, or dreaming bigger for the Philippines — forward this email.