The House that Kariton Built

In 2009, Efren Peñaflorida was hailed the CNN Hero of the Year for his efforts to provide basic literacy lessons to the unprivileged kids of Cavite City through the youth organization, Dynamic Teen Company (DTC). Using karitons or pushcarts that have been improvised into a mobile classroom, DTC brings around learning materials that volunteers use to teach streetchildren, out-of-school youths, and children involved in gangs and fraternities.

This selfless act won for Peñaflorida or Kuya Ef the prestigious international award — and the hearts of Filipinos and people from all over the world. He is the first Filipino and first Asian to be given the recognition, receiving $100,000 (roughly P4 million) as part of the award. Part of the money was used in continuing DTC’s outstanding projects and its scholarship program, while another portion was allotted for a facility Kuya Ef and his group have been dreaming of for the longest time.

Today, almost two years after Kuya Ef made the Philippines proud, DTC has reached another milestone as it recently launched the Kalingain Batang Mahirap Foundational Center (KBMFC), a venue that will carry out the mission of the organization — to teach unschooled, labor-exploited, and neglected street children.

Since DTC was founded in 1997, a total of 2,000 street children have been provided with basic literacy through its Kariton Klasrum and have been enrolled in formal school. It has substantially improved the situation of streetchildren in Cavite City.

Tutor house

The center aims to provide educational and social services to streetchildren whom DTC has been helping through its K4 Project (Kariton, Klasrum, Klinik, at Kantin). KBMFC is primarily a venue for tutorial services.

“The operation is for our Learner Educational Aid Program (LEAP). Ito ‘yung mga batang naipasok na ng DTC sa formal school. Primarily we have tutorials on reading comprehension and on other subjects these kids are having difficulty with,” explains Bonn Manalaysay or Kuya Bonn, founder of Club 8586, a God-centered, non-profit organization that provides leadership training to aspiring leaders. Club 8586 is the mother organization of DTC.

Located in Barangay Caridad, Cavite city, KBMFC conducts daily after school tutorials to kids at two hours per student, per day. It is also the venue for mentoring program for DTC volunteers where they are trained in volunteer work and tutoring. KBMFC is the primary venue of DTC activities and training centred on youth empowerment. They provide the proper learning materials and also food for the kids, all for free.

“We have our young volunteers, ‘yung mga pinapaaral ng DTC na college students who have been trained to tutor grade school and high school students in reading comprehension. They also assist the kids in school projects, assignments, and other school lessons kung saan nahihirapan ang mga bata,” Kuya Bonn adds. They also have trained counsellors who provide counselling to the kids. At present, the center caters to 150 children with 15 volunteers, 12 facilitators, and one computer teacher as staff.

Touring the ‘KarBuil’

Although the center is already operational, DTC still holds its K4 Project and other outreach programs. But what’s different about the KBMFC is the structure itself which DTC members call as the “KarBuil” or the Kariton Building because it is in the shape of a pushcart, for which DTC has become famous.

“We call it KarBuil kasi kariton talaga ang itsura niya. May gulong at handle,” Kuya Bonn enthuses.

Although the three-storey building is not fully-finished, exterior wise, it is already finished inside. The “handle” of the KarBuil is not yet in place. DTC plans to put solar panels on the “handle” to become a source of energy for the building. The Department of Energy has promised to provide the panels.

A canteen, activity area, and play areas are located on the first floor, while the DTC office, library, audio-visual room, computer laboratory, and meeting area are on the second floor. The third floor houses the roof deck for various activities and counselling sessions.

What was planned originally was a simple one-storey structure with classrooms. But DTC needed more space to conduct its activities. The building was designed by architect Ferdinand Ada, who did not charge a centavo.
Contractors also waived their engineering and builders’ fee and only laborers and materials were paid.

Mission accomplished

Kuya Bonn admits that there was a point that they thought the building would not be completed due to lack of funds.

“Nahirapan din kami. Si Ef pinasok ang part ng kinita niya sa endorsements and talks niya abroad. Naubusan kami ng funds at one point! We were invited to talks in North America and whatever honorarium we got, napunta lahat sa building. Hanggang ngayon, we still go to these invitations to talk because of the help that we can get,” Kuya Bonn shares.

Donations from individuals and organizations also helped fund the project. Right now, the operational expenses are funded with existing money and profits from an online store called Tindahan ng Pagbabago which sells t-shirts, caps, and other items.

Future plans

What the team is working now is the institutionalization of DTC’s LEAP project. They are already in talks with the Department of Education (DepEd) to make LEAP as an official educational provider and alternative mode of education for streetchildren across the country.

LEAP is essentially a basic literacy system that incorporates teaching with play and interactive learning, while also providing computer learning and holding a feeding program, the main reason why DTC attracts children in the first place. The institutionalization is now in its development stage and the pilot is expected to be implemented in Cavite City later this month or in early August.

“Nag-improve talaga kasi dati pakalat-kalat lang sila. Pero ngayon nakakapag-aral na sila. Oo, hindi naming maalis ‘yung iba sa kalye kasi kailangan din nilang kumita para sa pamilya nila. Nagbabantay pa rin sila ng kotse, nagbebenta ng kalakal, pero hindi na lang ‘yun ang ginagawa nila kasi nakakapag-aral na sila,” Kuya Bonn stresses.

Kuya Bonn says that the ultimate goal of DTC is to build a halfway house for the kids.

“We still have plans to build a halfway house where children, especially the abused ones, can recover. God-willing, maitatayo din ‘yun in the future,” ends Kuya Bonn, speaking with unrelenting faith and hope.

was hailed the CNN Hero of the Year for his efforts to provide basic literacy lessons to the unprivileged kids of Cavite City through the youth organization, Dynamic Teen Company (DTC). Using karitons or pushcarts that have been improvised into a mobile classroom, DTC brings around learning materials that volunteers use to teach streetchildren, out-of-school youths, and children involved in gangs and fraternities.