Efren Penaflorida, Jr: The Hero of a Classroom Without Walls

As if being an educator in the Philippines is not hard enough, CNN Hero nominee Efren Peñaflorida, Jr. faces his own set of challenges as he strives to educate Filipino children but he does not let these limitations stop him. Despite the lack of resources and insufficient funding, he still sets off  to give the gift of reading and writing to children who would otherwise be left illiterate and without an education.

He has a classroom without walls, literally. His makeshift classroom is a “kariton” or a pushcart. Armed with just the bare basics, he and his fellow teen volunteers from the Dynamic Teen Company offer street children and out-of-school youth hope for the future by not just giving them dole-outs but by empowering them with an education.

As a Filipino educator myself, I am in awe of Kuya Ef, as he is fondly known. He truly is a hero. Please help make it official by voting for him as this years CNN Hero here. Voting ends on November 19, 2009.

If you found this post interesting, informative and educational, feel free to take home my notes by subscribing here.