Pushcart-shaped building for kids' learning to rise in Cavite

MANILA, Philippines - A pushcart-shaped building that will allow children in the slums to enjoy their childhood and to learn basic skills will soon rise in Cavite City.

The Dynamic Teen Co. (DTC), a youth development group that conducts outreach programs through its “kariton (pushcart) classrooms” is now raising funds to finish the construction of the Kalingain Batang Mahirap Learning Center.

Efren Peñaflorida Jr., chief executive officer of DTC, said the Kariton Building aims to teach children the value of education while keeping them away from vice and illegal activities.

“Our mission is to reach out to the children in the slums. We want to revive their interest in learning and studying. Our goal is to keep them away from wrong culture,” Peñaflorida, who won the CNN Hero of the Year 2009, told The STAR.

Peñaflorida said the building will serve as a halfway house, a tutorial center, library, computer center, and recreation area for poor children who want to learn basic educational skills.

He said the structure will also house the material donations forwarded to their group. The structure stands on a 291-square meter lot in Cavite City and is now under construction.

“It is 80 percent complete. We have faced delays due to lack of funds. We intended to complete the construction last August, but we hope to finish it as soon as possible,” Peñaflorida said.

He also said the construction of the building would require them to shell out P11 million, and the group still needs to raise about P3 million.

To raise funds, the DTC organized an exhibit called “The Hero in You,” which features photos and videos of the activities of the kariton classroom volunteers.

The exhibit will run from Oct. 18 to 24 at the Fountain Area of Powerplant Mall in Rockwell, Makati.

Viewers of the exhibit can purchase items such as t-shirts, dog tags, and compact discs containing the photos of DTC activities. Photos in the exhibit are also for sale.

“The purpose of the exhibit is to raise awareness, make a difference and to grab the opportunity to ask help from people for the establishment of the learning center,” Peñaflorida said.

All proceeds of the sale will bankroll the construction of the Kariton Building, which is also envisioned to become a transient home for the beneficiaries of DTC programs.

“I believe every child deserves to be given education and to be allowed to grow, to be nurtured and to live his or her life fully well. It (building) will stand as a vehicle to reach that,” said Harnin Manalaysay, adviser of DTC and mentor of Peñaflorida.

The DTC was founded in August 1997 by Peñaflorida, Rezcel Fajardo and Jefferson Bernal. The group aims to “make a small yet significant difference” by helping children with no access to education, basic hygiene and sometimes even love from their families.

The initial group was composed of 20 members who sought to divert the attention of children from joining violent gangs.

Dubbed as “K5 (Kariton, Klasrum, Klinik, Kantin and Komlab),” the group’s outreach program offers out-of-school youth essential education through Saturday classes near the areas where they live.

Now, DTC has around 200 volunteers who are using pushcarts to share their knowledge with poor children in Cavite.

Peñaflorida said each of their five DTC pushcarts has a name and performs a specific function.

“Kari” serves as value formation and feeding center while “Toni” is the play center. “Trio,” meanwhile, is a computer lab and literacy center while “Nick” serves as a clinic. A fifth pushcart, aptly called ““Pip,” is used for DTC’s arts and crafts.

Other groups have imitated DTC’s kariton classroom initiative and are now educating children in areas like Naga, Cainta, and Quezon City.

Peñaflorida said he is taking such efforts positively since they have the same aim of helping and educating poor children.

“Before, they associate pushcart with poverty. Now, pushcart is a symbol of hope for children who are deprived of their right to education,” Peñaflorida said.