Happy Helpers was born out of a dream to uplift fellow Filipinos.
Upon returning to the Philippines after years spent overseas, co-founders Maan Sicam and Jo Endaya noticed the lack of trusted and reliable part-time, as-needed home cleaning services. Together, they began the initial operations of Happy Helpers in Jo’s home garage, and first introduced the company’s professional cleaning services in January 2015. The original team of professional cleaners was composed of five mothers from the Gawad Kalinga community based in Barangay Pinagsama, Taguig. These mothers sought additional income to help with their household expenses while simultaneously having the flexibility to take care of their families.
One of our very first kickoff parties
In a 2017 Business World interview, Maan recalled: “We were working with mothers like me. We were working with women who at my age are telling me, ‘Ma’am, I’m too old. My dreams are for my children”. Saddened by their sentiments, Maan and Jo aimed to challenge the notion that a mother’s life and identity are defined by their spouse and children by empowering these women to dream for themselves.
Coach Maricel, who prior to joining Happy Helpers worked as an OFW in Qatar, shared in a Pera Paraan feature last year: “Kung wala ang Happy Helpers, baka bumalik ako sa abroad (Qatar), kasi unang-una, hindi ganun kadali maghanap ng work dito sa Pilipinas lalo na pag nasa 40s ka na [If it weren’t for Happy Helpers, I most likely would have returned abroad because it is not easy to find work here in the Philippines, more so if you are already in your 40’s.]” Coach Maricel originally started as a part-time cleaner, but over the years, has been entrusted with the responsibility of training and coaching new Happy Helpers.
In the same feature, Nanay Sheryll shared that beyond the employment opportunities, Happy Helpers has positively impacted her overall well-being. “Mas lalo kong na-explore ang mga kakayahan ko - kumbaga marami kang magiging kaibigan, marami kang natutunan, at kung paano makisalamuha sa iba’t ibang klaseng tao [I was able to explore my different capabilities, made new friends, learned new skills, and learned how to get along with all types of people.]”
Two of our long-time Happy Helpers: Coach Maricel (left) and Nanay Sheryll (right)
Over the years, Happy Helpers has focused on providing a variety of professional cleaning services for residential and commercial establishments. The flagship cleaning service, the Deep Cleaning Service, offers a thorough cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting of the entire space in just 5 hours. Since 2015, we have expanded our cleaning service lineup to include the Post Construction Cleaning Service, Move In/Out Cleaning Service, Hyla®️ Upholstery Cleaning Service, and Aircon Cleaning Service. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020, we decided to introduce a variety of disinfection services including Disinfection Fogging and Sanondaf ESS Disinfection for COVID Areas.
Through the generous support of our partners and clientele, Happy Helpers now has three branches. In June 2022, in collaboration with Ateneo Alumni Association’s project, the Ateneo Tulong Sulong, and Ateneo Law School Batch 1997, we opened our second branch in Loyola Heights, Quezon City where we are currently collaborating with Filipinos from the Daan Tubo Association. Last December, we opened our third branch in Muntinlupa which expanded our cleaning service coverage beyond Metro Manila to include areas in Laguna and Cavite.
At our 90’s themed 9-year anniversary kickoff party on January 16, 2024
Since opening our doors in January 2015, we have had the privilege of training and collaborating with over 250 Fiilpinos, the majority of which are Filipina mothers from vulnerable communities. Last January 16, we gathered our 70 Happy Helpers and 25 employees from all three branches to celebrate our ninth birthday together. It was a fun-filled, 90’s themed kickoff party characterized by the friendship and memories that we have shared together as a growing family, and the opportunities that the future has in store.
Nine years ago, transforming the lives of fellow Filipinos was simply a dream. We are especially excited to continue to provide trusted and reliable cleaning services in more areas of the Philippines, but more importantly, inspire Filipina mothers to dream - for their families, children, loved ones, and themselves.
Written by Andie Miranda