Dreams do come true

The Dynamic Teen Company

By Maila P. Madrigalejo, Special to the Manila Times

Those letters would be nothing but meaningless lines and obscure scribbles in the eyes of someone who does not know how to read. Simply how Kesz, who is now 10, was before. When he was a lot younger, much of his time revolved around the dumpsite where he grew up in. At the early age of 5, Kesz has already learned of the harsh realities of life and how he has to labor in order to cope with it. Along with his friends, Kesz goes out to the dump to search for metals that he could sell so he would have something to eat for the day. And although their family usually has at least small amount of food to feast on at the table, days come when they have absolutely nothing to put in their mouths. During such times, they would just have to go through the whole day without eating.

Albeit all that, the physical hunger was not what this young boy was more concerned about. In his tender age, it is surprising to know that he was more apprehensive of another kind of hunger. “I want to study,” he says. The financial constraint of his family is what hinders Kesz from responding to this hunger for learning.

One day, as he and his friends were looking for scrap metals to sell, a person pushed Kesz toward a flaming tire. Kesz, who was so small and fragile, lost his balance and burned his right arm on that incident. Because of the necessary treatment which his parents cannot afford, Kesz was brought to the center and eventually to the Dynamic Teen Company (DTC). DTC showed Kesz a new light which he never thought he would ever get to see.

Pushing education forward

“The things that I do not know before, I know now,” Kesz shares. He is pertaining not only to the good values that the group has shared to him, but also the fulfillment of what he had always wanted to do—go to school. The DTC volunteers have not only taught Kesz of basic literacy skills and proper conduct, they also helped the child experience formal education by financing and sending him to school as well.

DTC, one of the groups recognized as Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations for 2008, is a crowd of young individuals who believe in their capacity to bring about change in the world. Started out in Cavite in 1998, the group was a friendship club formed with the aim of diverting the youth away from drugs and gangs. Eventually, DTC has evolved in to an organization engaged in implementing programs for the less privileged children in slum areas. Their programs include literacy training, hygiene seminars, and values formation among others.

“There is nothing that you can do because you are just children,” Efren ‘Kuya Ef’ Peñaflorida Jr., one of the group’s founders, recalls how the people surrounding them reacted to their endeavor. But the unsupportive response of the elder ones did not dishearten Peñaflorida and the team. Instead, they used those reactions as a challenge. Peñaflorida shared how he and the early members held on to what their mentor told them—‘you are the change that you aspire for.’ Himself growing up from a place near the city’s dump, Peñaflorida understood how the children in these areas truly needed their aid.

Carrying hearts that possess the desire to help and plastic bags that contain school supplies, the volunteers walk 5 km on Saturdays even under the heat of the sun just to share what they know to the children who have no access to education. Included in the places that they visit are the city’s public cemetery, the public market, the dumpsite, and a Badjao village. Peñaflorida remembers how their plastic bags easily get ripped and how hard it was for them to hand carry everything to all those four locations. Because of that, they opted to mount all their stuff on a pedicab. But the pedicab, too, gave them a hard time because the chains often go loose. All these circumstances led to the birth of the entire Kariton Klasrum, Klinik, at Kantin (K4) idea.

The concept of using wooden pushcarts came from the Chief Executive Officer of DTC, Emmanuel Bagual. Em, who used to sell corn using a wooden pushcart when he was 14, jokingly shares why this idea would actually work, “Hindi na kailangan ng gasolina at lisensya eh [Gasoline and a license are not necessary].” Up to date, the DTC volunteers use wooden pushcarts impart to their students the love for God, for country, for education, and for others. Peñaflorida even adds, “Imbes magtulak ng droga, yung mga kariton ang itinutulak nila [Instead of pushing drugs, they push those wooden carts.]”

The real heroes

Because of the selfless nature of the group’s work, DTC has already been recognized by several award-giving bodies including National Economic and Development Authority and United Nations Volunteer Program (2008), National Youth Commission of the Philippines (2008), and ABS-CBN Gawad Geny Lopez Jr. (2008), among others. The most recent of which is the nomination of Peñaflorida in the 2009 CNN Heroes. According to the CNN website, CNN Heroes is a global search for ordinary people with extraordinary impact.

Amid all the acknowledgement that he is receiving, Peñaflorida remains humble and shares, “I admire the real heroes here more, my mentor and the teenage volunteers.” He said that all of this is a collective effort from the whole group, and not just his individual effort. “I make it a point to recognize them in every interview,” he added.

Making a difference

DTC at present has thousands of volunteers and supporters, and much of these volunteers are the slum children whose lives have been touched by the group. Snatched away from gangs, drugs, and other vices, many of these children are now in school and are actually doing very well. One volunteer, who lives in the slums before, graduated as the valedictorian of his high school batch.

Changing one heart and touching one life at a time was the principle that the group lives by. They know that their goal would be more realistic and attainable if they would abide by such. With that, they have slowly touched thousands of lives in the depressed areas of their community. The group clarifies that they are not out just to help these young people; but more importantly, they want these kids to learn to help themselves.

Recognizing the fact that the wooden pushcarts have been of great help to the execution of their programs, Peñaflorida relates, “Even ordinary people and ordinary things can become instruments for change.” The group indeed lived out the change by helping these children begin to realize their dreams.

“When I grow up I want to be a teacher,” Kesz said sharing his ambition of becoming just like his Kuya Ef. Now, ‘dreams’ would no longer be empty and unfathomable symbols for children like Kesz. Because through DTC, they now comprehend that dreams are actually the bright futures that they can start building for themselves and for the people around them.

In Em’s words, “Making a difference chooses no age or gender.” That is exactly what the Dynamic Teen Company has just proven the world.