About Us

The Virtualahan Management Team

Our management team has 30+ years combined experience in inclusive training and employment, 20+ years experience in leadership and social entrepreneurship, and 15+ years experience in wellbeing and community building.

Ryan Gersava

Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Rose Villamor

Chief Empathy Officer

Josh Gersava

Chief Operations Officer

Mario Salcedo

Chief Finance Officer

The Virtualahan Board of Directors

Our board of directors is a diverse group of individuals who have been championing Virtualahan in various ways for years. From being our graduates to mentors and enablers, they bring a wealth of experience to the table. With their expertise, commitment, and passion for service, we're excited to see the positive impact they will bring to Virtualahan and beyond.

Alfred Gersava

Chairman

Carmen Zubiaga

Vice Chairman

Azey Atok

Secretary | Virtualahan Graduate

Virgie Botenes

Treasurer | Virtualahan Graduate

Christian Ehl

Board Member

Zeuz Oliveros

Board Member | Virtualahan Graduate

Terri Jayme

Board Member

Katherine Khoo

Board Member

The Problems We Are Addressing

It is estimated that in low and middle-income countries, 90% of Children with Disabilities do not attend school – The Global Partnership for Education

In developing countries, 80% to 90% of People with Disabilities of working age are unemployed while in industrialized countries the unemployment rate is between 50% to 70%. – United Nations | Department of Economic and Social Affairs | Disability

A Virtualahan student on a wheelchair is having fun talking in front of Coach Josh Gersava.

The Solutions

Inclusive and accessible skills training for online employment
Well-being sessions for life skills and increasing self-worth
Employment support for increasing employability
Partnership for inclusive hiring

Our Formula

Inclusive and Accessible Skills Training – Many online jobs are skill-based and do not require college education. We train our students on in-demand skills like lead generation, graphic design, e-commerce, graphic design, video editing, content writing, social media management, and others.

Well-being Sessions – Facilitated by resident psychologists, the well-being session is designed to help the participants process their negative experiences and to improve their life skills, especially on managing their emotions and planning for their future. The sessions helped the talents to be better prepared in joining the workforce.

Employment Support – To increase the chances of employability, activities like job shadowing, mentorship, mock interview, apprenticeship, and workshops on job interview, resume-making, and confidence building are done.

Partnership for Inclusive Hiring – We conduct inclusive hiring workshops for organizations to accommodate talents with disabilities. Our main employment partner is Spectrum Impact Sourcing.

"Virtualahan did not only gave me the opportunity to grow my skills and provided me with long-term employment but also a supporting community, and tools that I can use to help other deaf girls achieve their dreams." -Charina

Our Results

1000+ graduates
98% completion rate
60% employment rate (78% before the pandemic)
60% above the minimum wage - income of employed graduates
60+ provinces nationwide
20 major awards received including the first Filipino to win in the World Summit Awards
12+ Million Media Reach

Extended Community:

Solo parents
Out-of-school youth
Indigenous People
Recovering addicts
People Deprived of Liberty
Other disadvantaged groups

"Our common denominator is that most of us live in poverty because of our social exclusion in the workplace."-Grace

Our Challenges

Limited reach due to limited scholarship grants. We serve communities that are below the poverty line. They rely on scholarship grants to enroll in the program. Lack of computers/laptops/internet connection - About 60% of the applicants cannot be accommodated due to lack of computers/laptops or internet connection. Check the partnership tab for partnership opportunities.