Inspired by nonprofit Code.org, we’ve launched the Asia Pacific Week of Code, 21-27 April, through Microsoft’s YouthSpark Initiative. We are promoting the learning of code by inviting everyone, beginners to advanced coders, to do an Hour of Code. Learning to code opens up a world of opportunities. For more information, please visit www.wespeakcode.net.

Deprivation of access to information and communication, restrictions on movement, underpayment, physical abuse—Filipino IT entrepreneur Myrna Padilla is familiar with these stories. She had heard plenty during the 20 years she herself worked as an “OFW”, or Overseas Filipino Worker, in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan.

With 10 percent of its population (about 10 million people) working overseas, the Philippines sees many reports of abuse and exploitation each year. Myrna, who now runs her own business process outsourcing company Mynd Consulting in Davao, has been working on the rights of OFWs for many years. Myrna’s work has been supported by a Microsoft Citizenship grant. In addition, to share her knowledge and experience about these issues, she was invited by Microsoft to speak at a 2011 Telecentre.org event in Santiago, Chile, and in 2012 at the 45th ADB Annual Conference in Manila.

Her latest effort is the online portal Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) Watch, launched in 2013 to help migrant workers who have gone missing or need emergency assistance. The social network uses Facebook and Twitter to create a network of member OFWs. When an OFW reportedly needs help, messages will be sent to OFWs living in the vicinity, and recommendations will be given on the best course of action they should take, such as visiting the person’s home to check on their well-being.

To tap on the high mobile penetration rate amongst migrant workers, a mobile app was created, too. It provides information, including listings of all Philippine embassies and consulates and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration legislation on the rights of overseas workers; the information can also be accessed offline. The app comes with a currency convertor, translator and Philippine news. A new version that alerts OFWs when someone near them is in trouble, is being tested.

Thanks to support from Microsoft Philippines and BizSpark, a Windows version of the mobile app will be launched soon.

With the sheer number of overseas Filipino domestic workers, Myrna and her team believe the website will raise awareness and mobilise swift action, as well as serve as a prototype for similar tools to empower the 52 million domestic workers worldwide. Myrna also observed that the OFWs volunteering for the site experience higher levels of self-esteem from being engaged in a meaningful project that goes beyond mopping the world’s floors or cleaning the world’s toilets.

Myrna’s activism started years ago in Hong Kong where she established the Mindanao Hong Kong Workers’ Federation. Even her company is a continuation of those efforts as it hires women to allow them to earn a livelihood near home. She is an advisor for several corporate social responsibility initiatives, including a Microsoft-Overseas Workers Welfare Administration partnership which teaches OFWs basic computer skills.

Myrna said that migrant workers make up the large majority of human trafficking victims and suffer from much abuse and discrimination, thus she hopes to help them regain dignity and respect for their basic rights. She emphasised, “Migrant workers are not useless or hapless. All they need are tools and opportunities, and they will be able to do something for themselves, and contribute to society.” 

Many people have spent hours, if not days, playing block-breaker games—but building them would be a whole new ball game.

For two days at nonprofit Dream Together’s centre in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, 40 children busied themselves with wrapping their heads around coding and creating their very own games at the SmallBasic camp, jointly organised by Microsoft Korea.


“At ‘Dream IT Spark IT’, another activity of ours, the children specified that they wanted to do more than just play games. They wanted to be the ones designing the games that others would play. It was gratifying to see them picking up the basics of programming and coding so quickly, at such a young age,” said Seo Jin Jeong, Student of Soongsil University, Microsoft Korea Student Partner.

Helming this programme were 19 Microsoft Student Partners (MSPs), who had themselves picked up those coding skills from Microsoft Korea employees, and now wanted to ‘pay it forward’ by coaching the children who come from underprivileged backgrounds.

How to create blocks and balls in a game? How are scores tallied? Before they could answer these questions, they had to translate programming into a simple and engaging language. After going through basic coding topics such as Text Window, Graphic Window and other Microsoft Small Basic API references, the children were tasked to create an English dictionary and finally, a block-breaker game—complete with colours, music and sound effects of their own choice.

Excited to create their own games, the children were determined to keep up with the lessons. As the classes were conducted in pairs or groups of three, offering close and differentiated guidance, the children were able to learn at their own speed. It wasn’t surprising that Turtle Graphics, a very powerful yet simple programming language that was wildly popular in the 1980s, was a hit with the children who enjoyed using the animated turtle icon to draw shapes on the screen.

After trying to create the dictionary, the children went on to build their games that came complete with animation, pop-up notices, customised wallpaper and sound effects.

“Maybe there’s a Bill Gates amongst them! In this age, coding, like reading and cooking, is a basic skill that anyone can master. We hope that through this camp, the children can pursue more options in life and careers in the future,” declared Eun Bee Song, Audience Marketing Manager, Microsoft Korea.