Ten years ago, Happy Helpers started in a home garage with a pioneering team of five Filipina mothers.
It was January 2015 and our co-founders, Maan Sicam and Jo Endaya, had just returned from living overseas. They noticed that they could not find a reliable on-call cleaning service in Metro Manila as stay-in helpers tended to be the norm, and as a result, recognized the need to help lessen the load of busy moms through trusted home cleaning services.
However, Maan and Jo sought to do more than simply clean homes. While forming the pioneering Happy Helpers team, Memey Mendoza introduced them to an organization that can connect them with mothers from a local community in Barangay Pinagsama, Taguig. These Filipina mothers were eager to earn additional income and help provide for their families, without sacrificing time spent away from their children and loved ones. As a result, Happy Helpers evolved into a social enterprise cleaning company dedicated to uplifting and transforming the lives of Filipinos from vulnerable communities through meaningful work and livelihood opportunities.
Initially, we offered our professional cleaning services in the Makati and Taguig areas where homeowners could book house cleaning services including the flagship Deep Cleaning Service, Post Construction Cleaning Service, and Move In, Move Out Cleaning Service. In June 2022, through the support of Ateneo Alumni Association’s project, the Ateneo Tulong Sulong, and Ateneo Law School Batch 1997, we opened our second branch in Quezon City. After seeing the increase in residential and commercial spaces in areas south of Metro Manila, we opened our third branch in Muntinlupa last December 2023 which broadened our cleaning service coverage areas to include Cavite and Laguna.
Unlike live-in household maids, Happy Helpers uses an on-call cleaning service model where these mothers work for five hours a day, four to five times a week, and on average earn Php 5,000 per month. In an interview with the Philippine Star, Maan shared, “We provide everything – their uniforms, their training, the cleaning tools, transportation, even shoes and bags because we want to ensure that the salary that they receive at the end of the day is completely for them. Here in Happy Helpers, the objective of our company is to ensure that the women have sufficient supplementary income.”
Of the 70+ Happy Helpers who comprise our growing team, Maris Llabado has been with us the longest, having been part of our first batch of cleaners in 2015. She shares, “Ang Happy Helpers ay isa sa mga nakakatulong sa aking pamilya sa financial support. Sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay sa akin ng job ay malaki ang naitutulong sa akin sa pag-iipon ng pambayad sa mga bills ko every month especially water, electricity and internet. [Happy Helpers has provided financial support for my family. Since Happy Helpers provides me with a source of livelihood, it helps me save the money needed to pay our monthly bills including water, electricity, and internet.]”
On top of providing opportunities for these Filipina mothers to earn additional income, Happy Helpers emphasizes holistic growth, and this not only includes skills training, but also life coaching and values formation.
Long-time Happy Helper, Yasmin Saez, recounted that through Happy Helpers, “Mas lalo pa ako naging masayahin dahil nag-eenjoy ako sa aking trabaho at nadadala ko sa aming tahanan [I became a more happy and cheerful person because I enjoyed my work and this reflected when I was at home with my family],” while Maileen Martinez explained how Happy Helpers has contributed to her emotional well-being, “Emotionally malaking tulong ang Happy Helpers sa akin. Masaya sa HH ang mga kasama ko, nakakawala ng stress sa life kahit saglit lang. [Happy Helpers has been a significant help to me emotionally. My co-Happy Helpers are fun, and I forget about the stressful things in life even if it’s just for a moment.]”
Unfortunately, there is a notion that when a woman becomes a mother, her dreams solely revolve around her husband and children. In a Business World feature, Maan lamented, “We were working with mothers like me telling me ‘Ma’am, I’m too old. My dreams are for my children’.” Frustrated with such sentiments and self-perception, Maan and Jo decided to focus on changing these mothers' mindsets to encourage them to continue to dream for themselves.
Maceng Poliquit joined Happy Helpers in 2016 after spending several years working overseas in Qatar. She initially started as one of our professional cleaners, and has since been promoted to Coach where she handles the training of our newest team members. “Simula ng magtrabaho ako sa Happy Helpers gumaan ang aming pamumuhay. Dahil sa Happy Helpers nagkaroon din ako ng extra pera na para lang sa akin. Naranasan kong i-pamper ang aking sarili gaya ng magpa body massage, pedicure, kumain sa labas kasama ang pamilya o mga kaibigan. [Ever since I started working at Happy Helpers, life became easier for our family. Because of Happy Helpers, I was able to have extra funds that I could set aside for myself. Through this, I was able to pamper myself with body massages, pedicures, and treat my family and friends out to meals together.]”
In the past decade, we have had the privilege of collaborating with over 250+ Filipinos, primarily Filipina mothers. Through your support, we have serviced over 8,400+ households, which has enabled us to pursue our social mission of uplifting and transforming the lives of Filipinos from vulnerable communities. From a small team of five, to 3 branches composed of 70+ Happy Helpers and 20+ administrative staff, we are filled with immense gratitude that you have helped us turn our dreams into reality.
Written by Andie Miranda