The Performance Theatre (TPT) has announced that Ryan Gersava, a Davao-based social entrepreneur and the founder of Virtualahan, is one of the recipients of the 2019 Inspired Leadership Award (ILA), the first Filipino to win the award. He was recognized in TPT 2019, held last June 14-15 in Seattle, Washington.
“Each year, the ILA recognizes up-and-coming leaders driving positive change with the potential for global impact,” TPT said in a statement. It was an award originally given to large business leaders such as Sir Richard Branson and Melinda Gates, but recently refocused to highlighting owners of small and medium enterprises.
This year, Gersava was one of four social entrepreneurs to receive the ILA. The other winners were Catherine Berman, co-founder and CEO of American impact investment firm CNote; Dr. John Muthee, co-founder and managing director of Kenyan healthtech firm Savannah Informatics; and Prukalpa Sankar, co-founder of Indian data analytics company SocialCops.
“It is an enormous source of inspiration to see the dedication of the awardees to their work and the concrete impacts they are achieving,” said Osvald Bjelland, founder of TPT, in the event’s official press release. The organization added that it recognized Gersava specifically for “his work with People with Disabilities (PWDs).”
Gersava is the founder of Virtualahan, a social enterprise that equips persons with medical and chronic diseases, mental health diagnoses, and physical disabilities with digital skills and match them to clients from all over the world to work as data analysts, virtual assistants, web designers, and other related jobs for long-term and meaningful employment.
“Our mission is to build the future of work where no one is left behind by transforming the labor system for PWDs to thrive using the equalizing power of technology and a new approach to educating PWDs,” said Gersava.“Our impact formula transforms our scholars from being dependent on their families to becoming breadwinners and leaders in their community.”
Gersava founded Virtualahan in 2015 after his own experiences of being denied employment for his health condition. The medical technology student was diagnosed with the Hepatitis B virus early on, which Filipino employers see as a detriment as it is an incurable disease.
Virtualahan aims to give fairer opportunities to people like Gersava, particularly those with
physical and psychosocial diagnoses as well as PWDs. These individuals undergo a six-week
online training course training that Virtualahan developed with Accenture, equipping them with the necessary skills to become professional digital workers. They can then work from home for any of Virtualahan’s clients, employment partners, and companies who need outsourcing support around the world.
After the training program, they are given three months of employment support or one year of business mentorship depending on their preferred track. On top of this professionalization, they also undergo a one-year life-coaching program through weekly well-being sessions led by an in-house psychologist, highlighting Virtualahan’s focus on giving their students a holistic formula.
“What makes Virtualahan special is future-proofing our PWD scholars with high tech skills that allow them to work high paying jobs from the comfort of their home,” said Gersava. “This also removes many barriers for employment, like transportation and the need for special assistance from a family member to accompany them to work, which also increases the likelihood for employers to employ PWDs.”
To date, Virtualahan has trained 272 individuals hailing from over 60 provinces across the
Philippines. Gersava shared that 78% of these scholars have been employed, and they earn an average of Php 21,000 a month from taking on various online jobs.
Aside from the ILA, Gersava has also been recognized by various other awards and
organizations for his work in Virtualahan. In 2017, he was made a fellow of the Global Good Fund, a group where social entrepreneurs can exchange ideas and learn from each other. He was also invited to speak at the Annual Meeting of the New Champions (AMNC) by the World Economic Forum, and he is also part of the Global Shapers Community.
As the first Filipino to receive the ILA, Gersava hopes that his recognition as well as his
company’s story inspires other social enterprises in the Philippines to persevere despite the
many challenges they face.
“It takes so much courage and grit to start and grow a social enterprise in the Philippines
because of gaps and barriers in our policies, financial institutions, and entrepreneurial mindset, especially if you come from a poverty background in a province like Sultan Kudarat in Mindanao,” shared Gersava.
As for his fellow social entrepreneurs, Gersava gives this piece of advice: “Be very resourceful and strategic in building your ventures and following your guts, even if people and sometimes data disagree with your decision. Relationship is the key. It is extremely difficult to navigate the system by yourself but the relationship you’ve built along the way will not only carry you but propel you forward.”
With Virtualahan, Gersava is expanding the scope of his business to reach other individuals
unfairly discriminated by employers. These include former drug dependents, sex workers,
indigenous people, single parents, and out-of-school youth.
Gersava also aims to make Virtualahan the new standard in how employers treat PWDs and
individuals with medical conditions. While it has already helped hundreds of disadvantaged
Filipinos find employment opportunities, Gersava won’t stop until he is able to help PWDs and marginalized groups around the world.
“We will continue to develop our program to make it easier for the replication of knowledge, tools, and experience,” said Gersava. “We also want to remove all language, cultural, and technology barriers to scale the program in different areas of the world.”
