(Spotlight4745)Power through Education 05 September, 2011
Voice 1
Hello and welcome to Spotlight. I'm Marina Santee. Voice 2
And I'm Robin Basselin. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
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Efren Peñaflorida!
Voice 1
A young man sits on the edge of his seat. He seems surprised. They just called his name - Efren Peñaflorida. He has won the award! He rises from his seat and walks to the front of the theatre. He takes the award and speaks to the crowd. He finishes by saying,
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‘Serve, serve well, serve others above yourself. Be happy to serve... I always tell the other workers at DTC: You are the change that you dream, as I am the change that I dream. Together we are the change that this world needs.' Voice 2
In November 2009, the news television service CNN named Efren Peñaflorida their ‘Hero of the Year'. CNN gives awards each year to everyday people who do amazing things to help others. Efren came top among thousands of other people from around the world.
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Today's Spotlight tells why Efren Peñaflorida won the prize. It looks at the work he does in some of the Philippines' poorest areas. Voice 2
Efren was born in one of the poorest parts of the Philippines. This was in Cavite City, near Manila. As a child he played in dirty areas and swam in polluted water.
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But Efren did well at school. He studied hard and succeeded in his classes. However he saw that not everyone did so well at school. Some children behaved badly. And they were involved in violent groups - gangs. These children hurt and threatened Efren. Efren wanted to stop this happening. But he chose not to hurt them in return. Instead he wanted to give them something positive. So, when he was sixteen years old, he gathered a few of his friends. Together they created community activities. This gave the badly behaved children something else to do. Efren and his friends hoped this would stop them becoming involved with gangs, drugs or violence. The group wanted to serve the community and help young people do more in their lives. Efren and his friends named their group the Dynamic Teen Company - DTC.
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Two years later DTC began working in the poorest areas of Cavite City. Efren Peñaflorida led this work. Efren knew the area very well. He knew that many children needed help. The members of DTC took teaching resources to the children. Efren and his friends began to teach many children living in this difficult area.
Voice 1
Today the Dynamic Teen Company manages many different projects. These include health projects, education projects and social projects. DTC pays for health care for poor people. DTC members go into schools and teach young people about their human rights. But DTC's most famous project is called the K4 Outreach Programme. K4 gets its name from four words. In the Filipino language these four words all begin with the letter K. They are Kariton Klasrum, Klinic and Kantin.
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Kariton Klasrum means ‘pushcart classroom' in English. It is a container on wheels. It has everything that a school class needs – books, tables, chairs and much more. On Saturdays, members of DTC take the pushcart into the poorest areas of Cavite City. They create a classroom without a building. The DTC members teach the children how to read and write, and about mathematics.
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Another part of the K4 programme is the clinic. This gives health care to people in the poorest areas. The final project is the canteen. This gives food to people that have very little money.
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DTC has been working in Cavite City's poorest areas for more than ten years. The work remains important. Many young people in the Philippines continue to join criminal gangs. Many teenagers between the ages of thirteen and nineteen choose to join these gangs. About 130,000 teenagers in the Philippines are now in gangs.
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One child who has been helped by DTC is Michael Advincula. He now works for the Dynamic Teen Company. But he first came to DTC when he was much younger. He had been involved in crime at the age of seven. Michael told the news group CBN:
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‘I remember we stole a bag of Christmas lights. This was because our house did not have any lights. I was about ten years old when I started attending the DTC classes. I only went because I was hungry and I wanted bread. But this is where I learned values and the importance of having a goal in life.' Voice 2
Michel Advincula also became a follower of Jesus Christ at that time. He says:
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‘It was only when I received Jesus that I understood that stealing is a sin.' Voice 1
Michael now works for DTC on Saturdays. He teaches children. He tries to give them hope, just as he received hope many years ago. Efren Peñaflorida believes that education can give a great amount of hope. It can help people to achieve more in life. He tells people,
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‘Study and improve yourselves. Love learning and it will love you back. It will help you to change the world!' Voice 2
The Philippine government has praised Efren Peñaflorida and the DTC. In November 2009 the president of the Philippines awarded Efren the Order of Lakandula. This is one of the highest awards in the Philippines. President Arroyo also praised the work of DTC. She said that the government should support the DTC. She also said that similar projects should be started in many other areas. These would help more children who may not be able to go to school.
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Many other people have also praised Efren for his work. But he does not believe that he is more special than anyone else. He believes that anyone can achieve what he has.
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‘Some people think that I am a hero. But I tell them that they should look inside themselves too. I believe that there is a hero inside every one of us. All you need to do is open your eyes wide and see what is going on. Then you need to let your heart be willing to let others in – people in need, and people that are hopeless. By simply extending your hands to them you will find the hero that is in you.' Voice 2
The writer of today's programme was Steve Myersco. The producer was Marina Santee. All quotes were adapted and voiced by Spotlight. The voices you heard were from the United Kingdom and the United States. You can hear more Spotlight programmes on our website, at http://www.radio.english.net. This programme is called “Efren Peñaflorida: Power through Education”.
Thank you for listening today, goodbye.
