Handa is a free, multilingual mobile app providing country-specific legal guidance for overseas Filipino workers in the Philippines–Gulf corridor. It translates complex legal processes into plain-language, step-by-step instructions covering rights, filing procedures, deadlines, and evidence requirements. The app includes a private on-device vault for storing passports and contracts, plus an offline emergency ID screen.
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
Overseas Filipino workers in the Gulf face labor abuses like unpaid wages and passport confiscation, yet the legal protections that exist on paper are inaccessible in practice. Workers often cannot determine which office to file with, what deadlines apply, or what evidence to keep—especially when information is only available in a language they do not read. Government apps may detect distress but rarely tell the worker what to do about it.
Solution
Handa provides free, multilingual legal guidance tailored to the Philippines–Gulf corridor, available in Tagalog, English, and Arabic. The app guides workers through a few plain-language questions to map their situation to specific legal rights and concrete next steps, including the correct office, filing deadline, and evidence to preserve. Sensitive documents such as passports, contracts, and IDs are stored in an encrypted vault on the worker's own phone, which Handa cannot access. An emergency ID screen displays critical contacts and details even without internet connectivity. All content is reviewed by lawyers and clinics to ensure accuracy, and the app is designed to complement—not replace—existing government welfare and monitoring systems.
Target Audience
Primary users are overseas Filipino domestic and construction workers in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and Kuwait who need accessible, language-matched legal guidance during labor disputes.
Features
- Country-specific legal guides for Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and Kuwait, covering unpaid wages and document confiscation pathways
- Interactive intake flow that translates a worker's situation into a personalized action plan with specific offices, deadlines, and evidence checklists
- On-device encrypted vault for storing passport, contract, IDs, and medical records, with zero server-side access
- Offline-capable emergency ID screen showing emergency contacts and key details without internet
- Full multilingual support with RTL layout adaptation for Arabic
- Legal content scaffold currently under review by lawyers and clinics to ensure accuracy