Formerly sponsored in the Philippines through World Vision, Efren Penaflorida, 28, was named a Top 10 CNN Hero for his work with youth in the slums. The ambitious young man was distributing aid to typhoon survivors when he learned he was awarded this distinction.

October 2009

The recent flooding throughout the Philippines has brought so much havoc into people’s lives. But it has also unified the Filipinos to help one another. Amid the painstaking relief efforts, the announcement of a Filipino’s inclusion in CNN’s Top 10 Heroes brought much-needed inspiration to ordinary people who are doing extraordinary things.

Efren Penaflorida, 28, was busy packing and distributing relief items to the affected families of Typhoon Ketsana in Cavite, Philippines, when he learned that he made it to CNN’s Top 10 Heroes.

‘A blessing from God’

“For me, it was a blessing from God. When I learned that I was in the Top 10, I prayed and thanked God,” said Efren, a former World Vision sponsored child and founder of the Dynamic Teen Company.

A few days before the announcement, Efren and his team were busy collecting donations, repacking relief goods, and making distributions 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 with the damage caused by Typhoon Ketsana,” Efren said. “I myself was stranded that Saturday in Metro Manila streets for more than 12 hours without food, sleep, or energy from continuous walking and braving deep floods. When I got back, our city was not that badly damaged, but our neighboring towns were.

“So, after arriving from Manila on Sunday, I went to church and then gathered my team and collected goods to distribute.”

Work with children prompts Hero nomination

Efren was nominated as a CNN Hero because of his work with children at the slums of Cavite. At 16, together with his friends, Efren founded the Dynamic Teen Company. The group reaches out to teens, instilling in them a 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 neighborhood through our 4-K system — Kariton na Klassroom [pushcart classroom], Klinika [clinic], and Kanteen [canteen],” Efren said.

Their pushcart classroom carries books, pens, reading aids, tables, and chairs, enabling Efren’s team to bring education to street kids around Cavite.

‘A brief moment to cheer’

“In these hard times, when many selfless Filipinos have emerged as heroes in response to a call for action and sacrifice, it is affirming to all of us that such efforts are recognized and rewarded,” said Efren. “This announcement 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.

“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,” he added.

World Vision is working with Efren in providing relief goods to the communities in Cavite that are still flooded. Our teams are aiming to meet the urgent needs of 100,000 people severely affected by this disaster.