Efren Penaflorida, Jr.: CNN Hero of the Year

The pushcart educator took the helm as the 2009 CNN Hero of the Year. The Filipino educator Efren Penaflorida, Jr. brought home the honor to be chosen among the ten candidates from different countries. The effort of this teacher to educate the street children in his hometown Cavite made waves in other parts of the world. The Cable News Network (CNN) took notice of the effort and nominated Penaflorida as one of the ten finalists this year.

Who is Efren Penaflorida?

Only 28 years old, Efren Penaflorida formed the Dynamic Teen Company (DTC) along with his classmates with the purpose of helping street children more than a decade ago.  Finishing his college education as teacher, he usually pushes his unique classroom “Kariton Klassrum” or pushcart classroom to the main streets of Cavity City to help educate street children who cannot afford to attend a regular class in elementary level.

The eagerness of Efren or Kuya Ef as he is fondly called by the children he is helping along with his growing number of volunteers took the world to notice the kind of extending education to the masses or those who cannot afford it.

Many youngsters are all praises about the help they are receiving from these dynamic teens, the basic education they desperately need: to read and write.

The bullying that Efren Penaflorida experienced when he was still a youngster from his peers made him a stronger person. It is his stepping stone to extend the knowledge he gained to the less fortunate in his community.

2009 CNN Hero

Not only the online votes and comments on his DTC website that made him both a Filipino and CNN Hero of 2009 as well, but because of the dedication and perseverance he had shown to his work to help the needy, and that is the children who thirst for education.

Literacy is still what the world needs. We can eradicate illiteracy if we will follow the example of Efren Penaflorida. He’s not only representing the Philippines but the world itself. Education is just halfway in this generation. Many people in different parts of the world still crave for knowledge and information. 

We, the fortunate ones to have college degrees and sufficient education can be an instrument to extend help to illiterate one in our community.

From the Hub Pages community, we salute you, Efren Penaflorida, CNN Hero of the Year 2009!

It's been three years since this pushcart educator, Efren Penaflorida, created a worldwide buzz regarding modern-day heroism.

This 2012, as I reviewed this hub and news regarding the man, part of his winning prize, being the 2009 CNN Hero of the Year, went to the construction of the building geared towards his vision to have a center for the street children who are under his tutelage and his volunteers at the Dynamic Teen Company (DTC)

News about Efren may be superseded by recent political news here in the Philippines or the impeachment trial bruhaha, but his vision of sharing his ideals to those less-fortunate children in Cavite will never be forgotten by people who believe in his cause or advocacy.

(With personal writing and opinion from travel_man1971 aka Ireno A. Alcala)

Cable News Network (CNN) is foremost the baby of tycoon Ted Turner, who also owns lots of movie and production companies, aside from vast properties.

Through CNN, the world gets smaller as news all over the continents are gathered by vigilant and factual journalists who brave the perils of actual events.

An interesting segment, iReport, is now being cloned by local television stations here in the Philippines as media moguls also incorporate firsthand information from concerned citizens who first saw interesting events happening all over the country.