The heroes are here

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 [email protected]; (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.