groomed in the slums as early as 9 years old , '' says Peñaflorida . `` They are all victims of poverty . '' For the past 12 years , Peñaflorida and his team of teen volunteers have taught basic reading and writing to children living on the streets . Their main tool : A pushcart classroom . Stocked with books , pens , tables and chairs , his Dynamic Teen Company recreates a school setting in unconventional locations such as the cemetery and municipal trash dump . Peñaflorida knows firsthand the adversity faced by these children . Born into a poor family , he lived in a shanty near the city dump site . But he says he refused to allow his circumstances to define his future . `` Instead of being discouraged , I promised myself that I would pursue education , '' he recalls . `` I will strive hard ; I will do my best . '' In high school , Peñaflorida faced a new set of challenges . Gang activity was rampant ; they terrorized the student body , vandalized the school and inducted members by forcing them to rape young girls , he says
CAVITE CITY , Philippines -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- At 16 , Rhandolf Fajardo reflects on his former life as a gang member . Efren Peñaflorida 's Dynamic Teen Company offers Filipino youth an alternative to gangs through education . `` My gang mates were the most influential thing in my life , '' says Fajardo , who joined a gang when he was in sixth grade . `` We were pressured to join . '' He 's not alone . In the Philippines , teenage membership in urban gangs has surged to an estimated 130,000 in the past 10 years , according to the Preda Foundation , a local human rights charity . `` I thought I 'd get stuck in that situation and that my life would never improve , '' recalls Fajardo . `` I would probably be in jail right now , most likely a drug addict -- if I had n't met Efren . '' Efren Peñaflorida , 28 , also was bullied by gangs in high school . Today , he offers Filipino youth an alternative to gang membership through education . Vote now for the CNN Hero of the Year `` Gang members are