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Our first woman ambassador of the Philippine campaign. Let's give a hand to Myrna.
Before I share my story,
let me first greet all the people
who are here today.
I wish to recognize the dignitiaries, guests
Maayong buntag kaninyong tanan.
And to those who are non-Filipinos, good morning.
I would like to say a thank you
to the organizers and sponsors of this event.
For without all the hard work
and combined efforts of the people,
this event will not be successful
so we all thank you.
On a personal note,
I would like to thank Secretary Ivan Uy
of the Philippine Communications Information Technology Commission.
I have got to know him over the last 2 years
and as a streetwise person
and a worker's rights activist
who has interacted with lots of government officials,
I know his heart is good
and his passion to help
those less fortunate than himself
is very real and very sincere
Thank you, Secretary Ivan Uy.
I am a little uncomfortable
talking to such a knowledgeable and well educated audience
You see, standing before you is a woman
who never graduated high school, much less college
My father was a simple fisherman
from the island of Bohol
and my mother
was from the island of Mindanao.
I am the eldest of all the children.
And we grew up in a small undeveloped fishing village.
Some of my earliest memories are of
the tears in my mother's eyes
when we could go to bed without eating
I know the face of poverty firsthand.
My first job, at the age of 9,
was pounding rice to help feed my family.
At the age of 10, I was diving alone in the sea
to gather seaweed to sell in the market for living.
Like many other women born into poverty in the Philippines,
My only chance to break the cycle of poverty for myself and my family
was to go overseas to seek employment.
So I left my two children behind
and spent the next 20 years working as a domestic helper
and raising other people's children.
As a side note, I am proud to say I accomplished my task as a mother.
Both my girls graduated college.
It was while working as a domestic helper in Hong Kong
that I became involved in community service
by founding and serving as the Chairman for 8 years
of the Mindanao Hong Kong Workers Federation.
My employer at that time, Mr. and Mrs. Fung,
trusted me to help raise their son, Jonathan.
It was young Jonathan, only 8 years old,
who taught this woman to use a computer.
At that time, 1999...all I knew about technology
was that some guy named Bill Gates invented the mouse.
Now today, I know my facts were wrong.
But at the time, that was all I knew about technology.
I thought to myself
that I have something in common with Bill Gates:
our humanity.
We were both human beings.
If he was smart enough to invent the mouse,
then I should be smart enough to learn how to use the mouse!
As I have often done when I face hardship or difficulty,
I would look back on my time as a child.
I would remember that dark skinned child overcoming her fear,
diving alone in the sea,
and it was that image that would give me the courage
to face the challenge of the moment.
For me, and so many other women,
the first step of empowerment is overcoming our fears.
I took this early knowledge of technology
and applied it to the operation
of the Mindanao HK Worker's Federation.
First, I learned Microsoft Excel for budgeting.
And Microsoft Word for writing proposals
and petitions on behalf of our members.
Then later, Internet Explorer for research.
It was the use of the internet for MinFed that I began to fully understand
that technology behind the Internet meant
people could perform services without the need to leave home.
For those of you who have never had to leave your children behind,
you have no idea how powerful a concept that is.
To make a very long story short, I eventually returned home to the Philippines
and founded a business process outsourcing company called Mynd Consulting.
Today, Mynd Consulting operates 3 shifts
offering a wide range of services
to our overseas clients including
web development,
graphics design, programming services
with a specialty in the development of social media applications, the social media management system.
In addition, we supply virtual teams of programmers
on a long term basis to clients in both the US and Europe.
In conclusion,
when you look at me,
you are looking at a woman
whose life was changed by the empowering nature of technology.
But it is important to note,
behind me there are so many others
whose lives have also been changed dramatically.
Technology did not just empower me.
But through me, my entire family are now computer literate, including my 75-year old mother.
And that change did not stop there.
It has empowered all those
who have been fortunate enough to be hired as my employees.
And it did not stop there.
It has empowered their families as well
and all those close to them.
And still further...
All those families Mynd has been fortunate enough to help
through our community service initiatives.
The ripple effect does not stop.
it continues
wave after wave
and will, as in my case,
pass from generation to generation.
So the work you all do here
those assembled in this room
and those supporting you back home
is a noble thing.
Something you will look back on
when you are old
with a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction.
Remember,
when you empower women with technology,
you are giving one of the most precious gifts that can be given,
the gift of knowledge.
On behalf of myself
and the million women you will empower
and the tens of millions those women will influence,
thank you very much.