By Johanna M. Sampan Reporter

Efren Peñaflorida, the CNN 2009 Hero of the Year, was given a hero’s welcome upon his arrival to the country on Wednesday night.

He arrived at 11.23 p.m. on Wednesday at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Terminal 1 aboard Northwest Airlines flight 281.

The 28-year-old’s parents—Efren Sr. and Lucila—and Gov. Ireneo Maliksi of Cavite, along with 30 volunteer teachers and about 120 kids that his organization has helped, were at the airport to welcome the CNN hero.

His being chosen the CNN 2009 Hero of the Year earned him a total of $125,000—$25,000 for being in top 10 and $100,000 more for getting the grand prize.

It was Peñaflorida’s program and advocacy of bringing the classroom to the streets through pushcarts that caught the attention of CNN.

He plans to use the prize money, equivalent to about P5.8 million, to expand his Dynamic Team Co. and to build a learning center for impoverished kids. Peñaflorida said about 10 percent of the prize money would be given to a Christian church.

“Each person has a hidden hero within, you just have to look inside you and search it in your heart, and be the hero to the next one in need. The hero is in you waiting to be unleashed,” Penaflorida said at the CNN awarding ceremony. He added that his strategy of using pushcarts to bring education to children on the street was being replicated in Bacolod, Zamboanga, Indonesia and Kenya.

Cris Valdez, a 10-year-old who benefited from Penaflorida’s works said in Filipino: “My life has changed because of Kuya Efren. Now I want to be a teacher like him so I can also help children like me.”

Humble roots

“Kuya Ef,” as Peñaflorida is fondly called, grew up near a dump in a shanty community. He refused to join gangs and went on a crusade to help educate children who are forced to spend time on the streets.

Together with Dynamic Teen Co. and Club 8586, Peñaflorida brought the classroom to the streets through the humble “kariton” or pushcart stocked with books, writing tools, tables and chairs. He and his co-workers teach street kids basic reading, writing and math. Their program is called “K4 Project” which stands for Kariton, Klasrum, Klinik at Kantin (pushcart, classroom, clinic and canteen).

Also included in their weekly classes for street children are basic information on hygiene, feeding, first aid treatment and values formation.

Now on its 12th year, the Dynamic Teen Co. has around 10,000 volunteers and has helped around 1,700 street kids.

“As I always tell to my co-volunteers, you are the change that you dream as I am the change that I dream and collectively we are the change that this world needs to be. I’m just representing all dedicated and hardworking Filipinos,” Peñaflorida said.