I was invited by one of the owners of Reedley International School, Gracie, to watch Efren Peñaflorida give a lecture for the first year batch's Lifestyle Series Class. Before they had Phil Younghusband.
Gracie and I met up in Crystal Jade, a Chinese restaurant in Greenhills. I thought she'd like to have lunch in a Chinese restaurant since it's Chinese new year that day and she's a pure-blooded Chinese. Turned out she didn't know what day it was and was shocked why there were so many families eating there. After eating, we went straight to Reedley.
Personally, I think Efren's kariton project is not that ground breaking because there might be more innovative solutions to poverty reduction, but he has that genuine sincerity no doubt. And as much as I know, he does not have a formal training on developmental science nor does he have excess to give away. Even though he came from a poor background, he still had that sense of motivation to help.
Speaking of motivation, did you know that he didn't have this innate drive to help others? He keeps stressing that revenge and anger fueled his initiatives - kinda similar with Mark Zuckerburg.
The thing with having to speak in front of an international school students is you have to be very fluent in English and you have to convert your Peso values in Dollars. I think Efren could have conveyed his message and passion better if he used Filipino instead.
Here is a photo of me with Efren and Gracie. Listening to him is really inspirational - these people have that aura to influence people and that I think is what most leaders need today. They may have all the knowledge and experience but without charisma, they won't have that authenticity that people like Efren have.
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