Streetchild turned philanthropist Cris Valdez (left) and his group of caring children have made it their mission to help the needy and fellow children through their own savings. (Photo by CHARI VILLEGAS)

Instead of being in school, then three-year-old Kesz was digging into the dumpsites of Cavite with his siblings to augment the income of their father, a sidecar driver, and mother, a fish vendor. He would rummage the garbage for plastic bottles and other recyclable materials and sell it to earn at least P20 a day.

“Pag wala akong nauwing pera sa pangangalakal, binubugbog ako ng tatay ko,” Kesz looks back.

There are traces of that hard and painful life in his eyes, but those days are gone for now 11-year-old Kesz. His life and personality have changed tremendously since he was taken under the care of his kuyas. One of them is CNN Hero Efren Peñaflorida.

Kesz is not only the youngest volunteer at Peñaflorida’s Dynamic Teen Company (DTC) but he has also established his own group called “Caring Children” with a mission to help people in the only way he can — by saving money and playing Santa Claus to the needy.

THE CHILD WHO BROUGHT ‘BAD LUCK’

Kesz was one of the beneficiaries of DTC’s Kariton Klasrum. Like Peñaflorida and 17-year-old Emmanuel Bagual of M.Y. Rights, Kesz was also discovered by their mentor Harnin “Bonn” Manalaysay who founded Club 8586, the mother organization that later on gave birth to three more separate but complementing groups such as DTC, Mind Your (M.Y.) Rights, and Caring Children.

“Unang nakita ko si Kesz maraming galis at may mga pigsa sa ulo, natutulog sa may convenience store. Binili namin siya ng pagkain at inimbita sa kariton, pero humihingi siya madalas ng pera. I tried to hear his story. Bakit dun siya natutulog? Bakit marami siyang putok sa ulo? ‘Yun pala inuuntog siya ng kuya niya sa bakal,” recalls Manalaysay who could only help by giving food and education
through DTC at that time.

But when Kesz got into an accident, Manalaysay decided to take him under his care permanently.

“Nung five years old si Kesz habang nag-uunahan sila papunta sa truck ng basura, tinulak siya ng isang kasamahan niya sa nasusunog na gulong. Nasunog ‘yung likod niya at ibang parte ng katawan. Later on, binigay siya sa amin nung nanay niya dahil malas daw ‘yung bata, mamamatay lang daw kaya sa amin na lang. Sinabi ko, ‘hindi ko aampunin ‘yung anak mo. Pero papatunayan ko sa ‘yo na ‘yung anak mo hindi malas. ‘Yung anak mo, siya ang tutulong sa ‘yo pagtanda niya. Siya ang bibili ng bahay para sa inyo,” recalls Manalaysay.

And true enough, Kesz is now a changed boy with a bright future ahead of him. The incoming Grade 5 pupil is active both in school as an honor student, and in his group, as the president.

BIG HEART

At seven years old, Kesz was already being trained by his kuyas to think of a solution to problems in his community. He first thought of raising funds to provide slippers to poor children. Later on, his funds were used for projects that helped the poor, the needy and those affected by calamities.

Kesz sells ice candies to his classmates and to visitors of the Sunday School and Club 8586. He earns about P200 a day and saves it in an improvised piggy bank.

For his first charity project, Kesz gave eight pairs of slippers with toys and clothes to his fellow kids. But on his second year of operation, Kesz had to use his savings for something else.

“Si Teacher Donna, yung tumutulong sa akin sa pagbenta ng candies, siya din ang tinulungan ko. Narinig ko sa ibang teachers na may sakit ang nanay niya, nag-aagaw buhay at nanghihiram ng pera pang opera. Kahit hindi pa man December, ‘yung time para basagin ko ang alkansiya, lumapit ako kila Kuya Bonn at nagpaalam kung puwede kong gamitin na ‘yung naipon ko para matulungan si Teacher Donna,” shares Kesz who also gave his teacher a heartfelt letter saying he loves her and doesn’t want her to lose her mother.

Extremely thankful to Kesz, Teacher Donna happily shared the touching story with her churchmates. They, in turn, helped her pay it forward to him by donating 18 pairs of slippers, food and clothes to his charity!

Kesz also used his group’s savings to help last year’s victims of typhoon Ondoy. Caring Children likewise donates books to public schools in Cavite.

“Kesz is really resilient, dedicated and passionate. He has a big heart to volunteer. There’s this one time na hindi ko makalimutan, umuwi siyang puro dugo ‘yung damit niya. Sabi niya nasabugan daw ng light bulb ‘yung kaklase niya, kasi binato nito ‘yung fluorescent kaya pumutok at nasabugan siya. Dinala ni Kesz sa clinic ‘yung kaklase. Sabi niya kawawa daw ‘yung kaklase pero mas kawawa ‘yung school nila kasi walang nurse, wala ring gamot, bulak at iba pang gamit panggamot,”
relates Manalaysay.

That incident urged Kesz to gather his group members for another project — they donated first-aid kits to school clinics.

‘TEACHER’ KESZ

The young philanthropist looks up to Penaflorida and dreams of becoming a teacher himself.

“Pangarap ko pong maging teacher. Gusto kong makatulong at turuan ang mga bata. Idol ko si Kuya Efren dahil po nagtuturo siya sa mga bata ng walang bayad. Gusto ko siyang gayahin,” reveals
Kesz.

Even if he misses his family who seldom visits him, he prefers to stay where he is and continue doing what he loves to do.

“Ayoko na po umuwi sa pamilya ko. Mas gusto ko na po dito kila kuya Bonn. Kasi maayos ang buhay ko dito. Nakakapag-aral na po ako,” ends Kesz who loves the Bible teachings he learns at Sunday school.

Em Bagual (right) aspires to be a lawyer and protector of children’s rights.

Em is just a college freshman but he is already carrying a big responsibility on his shoulders. At 14, he already had a lot of people depending on him apart from his family, as he started his own organization called Mind Your (M.Y.) Rights in his hometown in Cavite. He also belongs to the Dynamic Teens Company of CNNNN Hero Efren Peñaflorida.

M.Y. Rights endeavors to save abused children from their abusers, mostly their parents who beat them up or force them to work at a young age in unhealthy and dangerous conditions. Em makes these children aware of their rights and empowers them to fight for it. Most of the time, he also bravely confronts the parents, and even brings them to jail. There were times that Em had to face death threats or got beaten up by people who opposed his actions.

Em felt that the best way to strengthen his advocacy and make people take him seriously is to become a lawyer. He also wants to concretize his mission to protect the children by representing them in court.

U.P. FRESHMAN

Last week, Em entered the Diliman campus of the University of the Philippines as a college freshman, a first step to making his dream come true. Taking up Community Development as a pre-law course, Em says this will also prepare him well in running his organization.

But like the people he protects, Em also had to fight for his rights in his former school.

For one, he should have been a college sophomore this year but was forced to transfer to UP because his teachers could not provide him and his classmates a record of their grades. In UP, he couldn’t be taken in as a sophomore so Em had to start all over again.

“Medyo nanghihinayang ako na magsisimula ulit ng first year kasi hindi naman mayaman ang pamilya ko. Pero dahil lumipat ako sa UP I expect na magiging maayos ang edukasyon ko. Yung pinaghihirapan ng magulang ko, hindi masasayang,” admits Em.

But paying for the tuition in UP wasn’t easy. In fact, Em was only able to report for class a couple of days before school started because he was still raising money for his tuition.

When this writer talked to him, Em admitted that he only has P15,000 in his pocket and still needed P4,000 more to pay for his total tuition and miscellaneous amounting to P19,000.

“Hindi ko akalain na ganon kataas ang tuition fee sa UP. Kaya ang ginagawa ko pag naiimbitahan ako magbigay ng inspirational talks sa mga schools, corporations, iniipon ko yung fee o honorarium at dinadagdag ko sa pambayad ng tuition,” reveals Em.

RELUCTANT CELEBRITY

What surprised Em on the first week of classes was that strangers who recognized him for his advocacy would come up to him and ask for their photo to be taken with him!

But aside from concentrating on his studies, Em is also planning to promote his cause to other Iskolar ng Bayan.

“I’ll take this opportunity to invite friends, classmates and other youths in UP to start a positive change in themselves.

Tuturuan ko silang isulong ang karapatan nila bilang kabataan. Kung meron silang sariling advocacy, handa ako tumulong. Kung gusto naman nilang sumali sa M.Y. Rights, welcome na welcome sila,” he says.

MODEL STUDENT

While UP is known to be the bastion of activism, Em says he would rather speak up in a different way.

“Kung meron talagang paglabag sa karapatang pantao, kikilos ako pero sa ibang paraan na positibo, yung tamang proseso. Sa tingin ko, hindi lang rally at pagsisigaw ang solusyon, dapat din ay ilagay ang kagustuhan natin sa programa na makakatulong sa iba,” stresses Em.

Em is also ready to juggle his studies and his work at M.Y. Rights. From Cavite, the group’s office has transferred to Novaliches to spread his advocacy to another side of the country. In the years to come, he dreams of reaching all corners of the Philippines.

Em plans to hold his programs for the children and the rest of the slum community in Novaliches during his vacant time and every Saturdays.

He may have a lot of goals lined up for his organization, but in school, Em only aspires for three things.

“I yearn for excellence in my studies. Gusto ko makatapos ng pag-aaral. At sa simpleng paraan, I want to set an example to everyone I will meet,” concludes Em.Unlike other teenagers his age, 16-year-old Emanuel “Em” Bagual already knows how his future will pan out. Em can see himself in the future, most probably as a human rights lawyer, a staunch advocate of the welfare of the marginalized and battered children.

Em is just a college freshman but he is already carrying a big responsibility on his shoulders. At 14, he already had a lot of people depending on him apart from his family, as he started his own organization called Mind Your (M.Y.) Rights in his hometown in Cavite. He also belongs to the Dynamic Teens Company of CNNNN Hero Efren Peñaflorida.

M.Y. Rights endeavors to save abused children from their abusers, mostly their parents who beat them up or force them to work at a young age in unhealthy and dangerous conditions. Em makes these children aware of their rights and empowers them to fight for it. Most of the time, he also bravely confronts the parents, and even brings them to jail. There were times that Em had to face death threats or got beaten up by people who opposed his actions.

Em felt that the best way to strengthen his advocacy and make people take him seriously is to become a lawyer. He also wants to concretize his mission to protect the children by representing them in court.

U.P. FRESHMAN

Last week, Em entered the Diliman campus of the University of the Philippines as a college freshman, a first step to making his dream come true. Taking up Community Development as a pre-law course, Em says this will also prepare him well in running his organization.

But like the people he protects, Em also had to fight for his rights in his former school.

For one, he should have been a college sophomore this year but was forced to transfer to UP because his teachers could not provide him and his classmates a record of their grades. In UP, he couldn’t be taken in as a sophomore so Em had to start all over again.

“Medyo nanghihinayang ako na magsisimula ulit ng first year kasi hindi naman mayaman ang pamilya ko. Pero dahil lumipat ako sa UP I expect na magiging maayos ang edukasyon ko. Yung pinaghihirapan ng magulang ko, hindi masasayang,” admits Em.

But paying for the tuition in UP wasn’t easy. In fact, Em was only able to report for class a couple of days before school started because he was still raising money for his tuition.

When this writer talked to him, Em admitted that he only has P15,000 in his pocket and still needed P4,000 more to pay for his total tuition and miscellaneous amounting to P19,000.

“Hindi ko akalain na ganon kataas ang tuition fee sa UP. Kaya ang ginagawa ko pag naiimbitahan ako magbigay ng inspirational talks sa mga schools, corporations, iniipon ko yung fee o honorarium at dinadagdag ko sa pambayad ng tuition,” reveals Em.

RELUCTANT CELEBRITY

What surprised Em on the first week of classes was that strangers who recognized him for his advocacy would come up to him and ask for their photo to be taken with him!

But aside from concentrating on his studies, Em is also planning to promote his cause to other Iskolar ng Bayan.

“I’ll take this opportunity to invite friends, classmates and other youths in UP to start a positive change in themselves.

Tuturuan ko silang isulong ang karapatan nila bilang kabataan. Kung meron silang sariling advocacy, handa ako tumulong. Kung gusto naman nilang sumali sa M.Y. Rights, welcome na welcome sila,” he says.

MODEL STUDENT

While UP is known to be the bastion of activism, Em says he would rather speak up in a different way.

“Kung meron talagang paglabag sa karapatang pantao, kikilos ako pero sa ibang paraan na positibo, yung tamang proseso. Sa tingin ko, hindi lang rally at pagsisigaw ang solusyon, dapat din ay ilagay ang kagustuhan natin sa programa na makakatulong sa iba,” stresses Em.

Em is also ready to juggle his studies and his work at M.Y. Rights. From Cavite, the group’s office has transferred to Novaliches to spread his advocacy to another side of the country. In the years to come, he dreams of reaching all corners of the Philippines.

Em plans to hold his programs for the children and the rest of the slum community in Novaliches during his vacant time and every Saturdays.

He may have a lot of goals lined up for his organization, but in school, Em only aspires for three things.

“I yearn for excellence in my studies. Gusto ko makatapos ng pag-aaral. At sa simpleng paraan, I want to set an example to everyone I will meet,” concludes Em.

'KUYA' BONN MANALAYSAY of Club 8585 (left) has led many young people to the right path, among them CNN Hero Efren Peñaflorida (center) and Emanuel Bagual of M.Y. Rights.

Kuya Bonn has had his share of missteps on the wayward path. In the mid ‘80s, the young Kuya Bonn, tired of what he thought was a God-forsaken life, tried killing himself by drinking muriatic acid.

“O sige, itong buhay ko oh. Walang kuwenta. Kunin mo na.’’ This was the challenge Kuya Bonn posed upon God when he thought he was about to breathe his last.

But miracles do happen. In Kuya Bonn’s case, a miracle was revealed to him when he woke up the morning after he attempted to kill himself and found out that, fortunately, what he ingested was not the lethal muriatic acid but was actually the non-poisonous hydrogen peroxide.

From then, he took the great leap of faith and resolved to change the course of his life.

Clueless he might have been back then on how he could change, he started the year 1985 by simply hearing Mass.

“Outside the church, I saw a group of kids begging for money just for gambling. Tapos nag-away pa sila at kailangan kong lumabas ng simbahan para awatin sila. Ang hindi ko alam, ‘yun ang magiging daan ko sa pagtulong sa marami pang bata na magkaroon ng mabuting buhay,’’ Kuya Bonn recalls.

He then learned that those kids did not how to read and write but could only recognize the sight and smell of money. From buying those kids some bread to eat, Kuya Bonn started spending time teaching them.

MAGIC OF BRAINSTORMING

In 1985, Kuya Bonn founded the Bible Study Boys and Girls Group, with about 12 members. It was later to be called Club 8586, to commemorate those years that Kuya Bonn has had his life-changing epiphanies.

Club 8586 today continues to change the lives of many youths from marginalized communities. A very action-oriented group, its members, under Kuya Bonn’s leadership, never tire of brainstorming on what should be done so as to carry out their developmental projects (like selling bote’t dyaryo as a fund raising project).

Kuya Bonn continues to instill in the new leaders of Club 8586 the magic of brainstorming. He would not dictate the things that should be done but will present the problem and let the young leaders think of realistic solutions.

A baby of Club 8586 is Efren Peñaflorida’s Dynamic Teen Company (DTC) which promotes education in a creative way, through the Kariton Klasrum.

Another spin-off group, Mind Your Rights (M.Y. Rights), headed by 17-year old Emanuel Bagual, educates the young and their parents on children’s rights and aims to put an end to the cycle of abuse especially in marginalized communities.

CHANGING LIVES

Sustaining Club 8586 for Kuya Bonn was a difficult choice, he admits. He gave his full-time job as a professor to spend more time for the club.

A lot of people discouraged him but that didn’t stop him from continuing his advocacies especially when he sees the lives of young children becoming better.

Just as how Peñaflorida was humble enough not to own the glory of the prestigious CNN Hero title, so is his mentor who has always emphasized the importance of humility in one’s character. “Kung ano ang ginagawa mong mabuti, hindi mo na kailangan pang i-broadcast,” Kuya Bonn would always say.

Kuya Bonn can’t stop from hoping that the Philippines will be better in time. He is positive that the “people development” which Club 8586 promotes will disprove to society that the youth who have lost their way do not have a chance to be better.

“There are diamonds in the rough” he would say. “Change should start from our own selves, and who knows, if one by one the people realize that, they will start changing themselves and soon, our world would be change.’’

Twenty five years after its founding, Club 8686 continues to change the lives of many…and it’s still counting.

(The Philippine Star) Updated November 28, 2009 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines – President Arroyo directed yesterday presidential adviser on education Mona Valisno to replicate the kariton classroom system in areas not reached by the Department of Education.

Following the worldwide recognition that CNN Hero of the Year Efren Peñaflorida’s kariton (pushcart) classroom has generated, the government is now adopting the strategy to reach out to school children, especially in remote areas in the country.

Yesterday, Peñaflorida was conferred the prestigious Order of Lakandula with the rank of komandante at Malacañang for the honor he and his Dynamic Teen Co. (DTC) brought to the country on a worldwide stage. His parents, Lucila and Efren Sr., accompanied him to Malacañang.

The President told Valisno to work with non-government organizations such as the DTC and support them in education programs for children.

She said the focus should be on children from poor families who most likely would have lesser access to education.

“If Kenya was able to have success replicating the program, then there should be no reason for the Philippines not to do this too,” she said. – Marvin Sy ]]> http://dynamicteencompany.org/2009/gma-to-deped-replicate-kariton-classroom/feed/ 9 http://dynamicteencompany.org/2009/anderson-cooper-humbled-by-2009-cnn-hero-of-the-year-efren-penaflorida/ http://dynamicteencompany.org/2009/anderson-cooper-humbled-by-2009-cnn-hero-of-the-year-efren-penaflorida/#comments Wed, 02 Dec 2009 07:49:28 +0000 dynamicteens http://dynamicteencompany.org/?p=315 Anderson Cooper humbled by 2009 CNN Hero of the Year Efren Penaflorida

By Richard Huff
DAILY NEWS TV EDITOR

Anderson Cooper was skeptical about the “CNN Hero of the Year” concept when it launched three years ago – but now, not so much.

In fact, just the opposite. He says the show – and the process – is inspiring.

“When I heard it was an awards show, anything like that, by nature, I find, threatens to be cheesy,” said Cooper, who hosted Sunday’s taping of this year’s show, which airs Thursday at 9 p.m. “But this is about making a change in people’s lives, and celebrating people who are making changes.”

Efren Penaflorida of the Philippines is CNN’s 2009 Hero of the Year. He created a program to educate youngsters that they have choices other than being in street gangs. Also honored Sunday was Queens resident Jorge Munoz, a school bus driver who helps feed the hungry.

Cooper said he can get choked up just listening to the stories. Now, three years into the process, hearing about people helping others has changed his life.

“First of all, it makes me think I’m not good enough,” Cooper said. “I need to do more. It definitely inspired me to do other things, to donate, to increase donations.”

The show was shot at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles before an audience of 4,000. Among the celebrities on hand were Kate Hudson, Eva Mendes, Neil Patrick Harris and Randy Jackson.

For Cooper, the gig was a nice diversion from his nightly job as anchor of CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360,” which airs at 10.

He’s also done non-news occasionally on the syndicated show “Live! With Regis & Kelly,” where he’s filled in for Regis Philbin alongside Kelly Ripa.

“It’s like exercising different muscles,” he said of hosting. “Working with Kelly is a highlight of my week whenever I do it. She’s incredibly talented and incredibly smart.”

Cooper said he also likes doing things that take him outside his comfort zone.

“Years ago, when speaking before an audience, my mouth would get dry,” he said.

Now, he’s worked through his anxiety of speaking to big groups, and enjoys hosting the “Hero” event.

“From the viewers who do watch, we get a huge reaction,” he said. “You really don’t see anything like this on TV. The whole family can watch on Thanksgiving. It really does inspire people.”

That said, Cooper thinks neither the awards show itself nor the short segments profiling nominees throughout the year are a way to offset the drumbeat of bad stories that permeate the news.

“It’s interesting. People always say they want more positive news stories, and then tend not to watch positive stories,” he said. “There’s a disconnect between what they say and what they watch. [But it's] important not to look just for the bad things that are happening. These people [the nominees] are making news in a different way. It’s not the kind of news that’s reported on a lot, but it certainly is real life.”

AN Efren Peñaflorida is what the Philippines needs, said Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice Reynato Puno, who spoke before members of the Philippine Association of Court Employees (PACE) at the Cebu International Convention Center yesterday.

Puno said a “transformational leader” like Peñaflorida is what the country needs and should be the kind of leader Filipinos vote for in the 2 010 elections.

Peñaflorida was a finalist in the Cable News Network (CNN) Heroes feature, about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

For updates from around the country, follow Sun.Star on Twitter

Peñaflorida, 28, educated the youth to keep them from being gang members. Instead of a classroom, this Filipino hero used a pushcart where he traveled to the slums of Manila.

“To ensure peaceful and honest elections, let us assist the people’s search for a transformational leader,” said Puno.

While still 10 months away from choosing the country’s next leader, Puno reminded court employees that the judiciary should become “the center of gravity in the moral order.”

Thousands of court employees from all over the country gathered for the opening of the 13th PACE national convention, which will run until Friday.

“The judiciary should be actively promoting the rule of law… It is our legal and moral duty not to resort to the law of the jungle,” Puno said.

To ensure that court employees will not be seduced into corruption, the SC launched the Integrity Development Review of the Judiciary (IDR), which examines the employees’ integrity, institutional weaknesses, and court functions in terms of vulnerability to corruption.

Information will shape programs that will guard the courts against corruption.

The IDR is now in Davao City, said Puno, but will soon visit Cebu for the Visayas leg of the assessment.

Benefits

Puno, in his speech, mentioned improvements in its services, particularly for its people.

Between January and June this year, P100 million more was shelled out for the employees.

The amount covered an expanded health and welfare plan, increased rice allowance, emergency economic assistance fund, anniversary allowance and the grocery allowance.

In her opening remarks, PACE president Virginia Rafael asked for an SC guest house as well as the signing of the salary standardization law.

She admitted that during a dinner with Puno Tuesday night, she also outlined more projects that needed the direction of the chief justice.

Puno even joked that it seemed like Rafael would not allow him to retire next year, because of the numerous projects being asked for.

“I was given a long laundry list of things to do to help improve the administration of justice… I cannot do everything she was ordering me to do,” he said.

Puno, though, acknowledged the strength of PACE, which has over 25,000 members.

Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia also praised the “well-organized and well-attended” convention.

She welcomed the delegates, saying, “Everybody seems to be looking for an excuse to come to Cebu.”

Also present were Regional Court Administration’s Office Chief Cresencio Tan, Cebu City Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Meinrado Paredes and Municipal Trial Court in Cities Executive Judge Oscar Andrino. PACE 7 is represented by Belinda Go.

MANILA, Philippines – In the early morning of a stunningly bright April day, my sister, Catherine Jones, asked if I’d like to drive to a school in Cavite with her in order to deliver five boxes of children’s books from her personal library, a collection she amassed for her two children over the past twelve years.

Naturally, I agreed to the short journey. I was entirely unprepared for what I would discover a mere hour outside of Manila, and the effect the afternoon would have on my view of education.

We broke out of the bumper-to-bumper traffic on Aguinaldo Highway on the edge of Cavite City, and after a few twists, turns, and stops for directions, we found ourselves in an unexpected oasis of learning. It was a thriving outpost of education dedicated to young, disadvantaged children and teens who, in spite of dire circumstances, possess an unquenchable thirst for reading and learning.  This is the unassuming headquarters of the Dynamic Teen Company, or DTC, where the motto ‘We Are The Change’ is more than just a platitude or slogan.

One of the DTC stalwarts, appropriately attired in a Superman t-shirt flanked by three energetic young boys from the DTC, greeted us warmly when we got out of the car. They escorted us down a narrow alley leading to a welcoming nook. We shook hands with the small crowd of teachers, volunteers, and children, all of whom were beaming contagious smiles. My focus was drawn to the unusual classrooms: three large A-frame blackboards each solidly attached to a flatbed cart parked in a covered area. The side shelves of these roving pushcarts, dubbed “The K4” (Kariton, Klasrum, Klinik & Kantin), were equipped with notebooks, textbooks, writing instruments, food, basic medical supplies, and a flagpole flying the national colors. The only difference between these K4 mobile classrooms and the ones in schools was the lack of four solid walls.

In 1997, one visionary young man, Efren Peñaflorida, came up with an answer to the problem of educating underprivileged children. He was only 16 years old when inspiration struck. Having lived in a garbage dump in his early days, earning money for his parents selling corn on the street, Efren himself was the product of agonizing, soul-searing poverty. He knew too well the painful trials, fears, and perils of destitution. Together with the help of some local friends, he formed the DTC to improve the lives and minds of the neediest children.

They started as just a group of acquaintances, hanging out together away from the streets and the gangs and the glue huffing. Over time, they began teaching the younger children who sought their company. Today, the organization is a full-fledged success, and growing fast, utilizing the Internet to reach out to new volunteers and new supporters. They even have a Facebook group, boasting over 2,000 members.

Every Saturday, a legion of volunteers push the K4s out into the streets, taking their moving classrooms to four locations in Cavite City over the course of a day: the market, the cemetery, the dump, and a stilted, impoverished shantytown. At each venue, children gather for an hour-and-a-half lesson. They have their regular students (whose progress is monitored with loving care), as well as a collection of parents and other adult spectators who stop by to glean a bit of knowledge, as well as a free meal.  

After our arrival, DTC volunteers unloaded the boxes from our car and placed them on a table in a shaded area. Catherine opened the boxes she had meticulously organized by reading level and started pulling out the books.

“Reading is so important,” she told the eager children that began to gather around us. “Here’s Curious George, he’s one of my favorite little monkeys…And look here, it’s Arthur! You’re going to love reading about Arthur. Oh, look! Pooh, Madeline, Miffy, Waldo! These were all my kids’ favorites.”

Catherine gave her twelve-year-old daughter, Allie, who had come with us, a few books to read aloud. She found a spot to read by the K4s, and slowly but surely a gaggle of children gathered to listen to the storytelling. By the time the three of us had read through five books, about 20 children sat around, enjoying the impromptu story time.

As we dug through the stacks of books, Kuya Bonn, a.k.a the man in the Superman shirt, conveyed the success stories of some of the students he has taught over the years.

“We see a lot of kids go from banana and corn vendors with no slippers, barefooted, to somebody who is educated…Actually Efren is a product of that…Efren was a corn vendor, now he…wants to study law in the future. We feed the kids…they can take a bath here, we even cut their hair.”

One young boy ran up and spontaneously hugged him. He then told us the boy’s story: his father forced him to beg at the side of the road at the age of three. He was beaten when he returned home with no earnings, and often passed his nights sleeping in a tomb in the cemetery to avoid his father’s violent rage.

While scavenging atop a trash heap, he burned his arm on a tire that spontaneously burst into flame. Now, at six, he thrives under the DTC volunteers’ care and tutelage. Over the course of the last three years, he has blossomed into a swift, intelligent student who can hopefully look forward to a brighter future.

“These kids are the real heroes,” Kuya Bonn tells us proudly. “They went out of the rut they were in.”

Efren explained how the DTC works tirelessly to educate parents and students alike about the rights of children, and to make sure that undocumented kids – that is to say those without birth certificates – are not neglected or ignored by public institutions and schools.  

But, despite the growth and expansion of the DTC over the years, their mission has remained unchanged: to instill a lifelong love of learning in their children, so that if they ever do get the opportunity to attend a formal school, they will hunger for knowledge.

If children want to learn badly enough, the vicious cycle of cutting class, gambling, begging, stealing, is less likely to lure them away. For those who never get any formal education other than the K4, they have at least learned to read, write, and do basic math.

Today, after twelve years of service, the accolades are pouring in. Efren and his organization were recently nominated for a CNN Heroes award, the first nomination for a group in the Philippines. Efren was interviewed by Larry King.

The sudden media attention the DTC garnered as a result of the nomination has completely altered local attitudes toward the group. In past years, the volunteers were mocked and derided for their efforts, pushing their carts with their heads bent low, enduring vicious cries of “Basurero!” and other taunts. Now, they are treated like heroes.

“People are… stopping and taking pictures with us. They wave hands and yell, ‘We saw you on TV!’ A woman in a jeepney gave us P1,000,” Efren explains.

“If there was one thing that you need the most, what would it be?” I asked them, contemplating their potential for future expansion.

“We need a bigger place, especially in Manila. We also need food. In Cavite it costs P8 to feed a child. We feed 400. Now with the media coverage 1,500 kids have enrolled. We also need school supplies,” Kuya Bonn replies.

The K4 classrooms are, in some ways, an ideal medium for the transfer of knowledge. After all, thousands of years ago, in ancient Greece where reason and logic were born, lessons were taught in the open air, using nature as a teaching tool. Students analyzed what they saw with their own eyes and used their creativity to figure out just what made the world tick. The Greeks knew that there is no greater teacher than personal observation.

Though the Cavite air might not be as fresh as Athens in the age of Demosthenes, the spirit remains the same. Learning is learning. It doesn’t take a fancy science lab or a classroom stocked with computers to cultivate a curious mind. Once the spirit is there – that fierce compulsion to understand the world we live in – every hour of every day becomes a potential lesson.  

It is a fact that knowledge is a ‘movable feast’, applicable to every facet of life. Once the kids understand that it’s A-OK to love to read and be inquisitive, many doors are opened for them. Efren, Kuya Bonn, and the rest of the crew are giving the kids so much more than lessons and food; they’re giving them just what they need to work their way out of the bitter cycle of destitution. Knowledge is power, and nowhere is that epithet truer or more vital than in Cavite at this moment.

I can’t help but hope that these dedicated teachers and eager students have stumbled onto something very important. Their ‘small is beautiful’, holistic approach is visibly, palpably effective. Education isn’t like a pair of shoes: it can’t be mass-produced. The DTC crew look after everything: mind, body, and spirit.

At the end of the day, I’m convinced that this model, if replicated in other areas, has the potential to make a huge dent in the illiteracy rate of impoverished children. It is proof that it doesn’t take an institution to inspire a child, all it takes is a mentor who cares, a few books, and a way to access the students. If the students can’t get to the school, the school will come to the students, just like the mountain came to Mohammed centuries ago.

How You Can Help: Books, notebooks, and other supplies are needed, as well as financial aid to help purchase food, clothing, and hygienic supplies like toothbrushes and toothpaste. The DTC is looking to expand its efforts in Cubao and Manila, but such growth requires funds, space, and more volunteers. Contact Kuya Bonn at dtcooffice@dynamicteencompany.org; (46) 431-2412; 1177 Julian Felipe Blvd. Brgy 17 Caridad Cavite City, 4100.

The author is a freelance writer from New Hampshire, USA. This is her third extended sojourn in the Philippines. Special thanks to Catherine’s dentist, Dr. Lucila Bernardo, DMD, from Cavite City, for suggesting that she donate her children’s book collection to DTC.

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.