Mobile educational carts converted to bring aid to flood-stricken communities
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Manila – The recent flooding brought so much havoc in the lives of the Filipinos. But it has also unified the Filipinos to help one another. Amid the painstaking relief efforts, the announcement of a Filipino’s inclusion to CNN’s Top 10 Heroes brought much needed inspiration to ordinary people who are doing extra ordinary things.
Efren Penaflorida, 28, was busy packing and distributing relief items to the affected families of Typhoon Ondoy (international name; Ketsana) in Cavite, when he learned that he made it to CNN’s Top 10 Heroes.
“For me it was a blessing from God. When I learned that I was in the Top 10, I prayed to thank God,” said Efren, a World Vision former sponsored child and founder of the Dynamic Teen Company.
Efren was nominated to CNN Hero because of his work with children in the slums of Cavite. At 16, together with his friends, Efren put up the Dynamic Teen Company that reaches out to teens, instilling in them the spirit of volunteerism, as they teach young children basic reading, writing and personal hygiene.
"Instead of joining gangs, we decided to help fellow poor children in our neighbourhood through our 4-K system - Kariton na Klassroom (pushcart classroom), Klinika (clinic) at Kanteen (canteen),” Efren shares.
Their Kariton Klassrum (pushcart classroom) carries books, pens, reading aids, tables and chairs enabling Efren’s team to bring education to street kids around Cavite.
Trying times
“Making it to CNN’s Top 10 heroes is a blessing from God. It gave us (students and volunteers) a big reason to “smile big-time” during these trying times,” Efren said.
Few days before the announcement, Efren and his team were busy collecting donations, re-packing relief goods and distributing these to the flood-affected communities in Cavite.
“We have converted our pushcart classroom to a relief cart. This is our way, our contribution, to help the people who are still finding ways to cope up with the damage caused by Typhoon Ondoy,” Efren said, who was also affected by the flooding.
“I was stranded that Saturday in Metro Manila streets for more than 12 hours without food, sleep and energy from continuous walking and braving deep floods. When I got back, our city was not that badly damaged but our neighbouring towns were. So, after arriving from Manila on Sunday, I went to church service and soon after gathered my team and collected goods to distribute and it continues until today since school classes are off and we converted our own pushcart school into a pushcart to collect goods,” he added.
Rainbow
For Efren, the CNN announcement was “like a rainbow after the storm” – an affirmation of God’s promise of good things to come, like in Noah and the Great Flood.
“In these hard times when many selfless Filipinos emerge as heroes in response to a call for action and sacrifice, it is affirming to all of us that such efforts are recognised and rewarded. The announcement of Anderson Cooper of the Blue Ribbon Panel's decision gave Filipinos a breath of fresh air, a brief moment to cheer and celebrate, to be inspired all the more to get back into volunteering and rebuild our nation,” he said.
World Vision is working with Efren in providing relief goods to the communities in Cavite who are still flooded, even now.
World Vision is aiming to meet the urgent needs of 20,000 families or 100,000 people severely affected by the massive flooding in Metro Manila.
Hear from other former sponsored children as they share their journey from poverty to becoming real-life heros!
Bring your family and friends for a celebratory high-tea and hear the stories of two sponsored children - Dr Steven Christian, one of only four oncology specialists in Bali, and Lieutenant Commander Armando Balilo of the Philippine Coast Guard, who will share his rescue work in Typhoon Ketsana.
Join us for World Vision Child Sponsors Celebration on 5 December 2009 - register today!
