Part II - Inspired by a 12-year old

5 March, 2:58 pm

by Mark Chan, from the winning team of Youth4Youth Campaign

We had come to Singkawang to meet with the locals and find out about their lives. The first few were the nice people at the Wahana Visi office there! They were to guide us around the area so that we would see how things worked at ground zero. They even took us out to the places with nice food!

An almost complete pic of the group, having lunch in one of the local’s house. Yum!

I met lots of people from all walks of life. It gave me some points to ponder on. In Malaysia, I would have seen these people as foreigners, and it would be hard to find parallels between the 2 of us. But being in Indonesia and on the field, it was so clear to relate to them. As clichéd as it may sound, you really won’t know a person until you see how they live. I saw the parallels! We are all people that survive on basic necessities, hope for the best, and work for better lives. It turned my perspective in that sense.

That’s Amier (..and me behind), being welcomed into one of the local’s house

Visiting the house of a member of a local water committee in Kandang, I saw how much the locals were thankful for a new clean water piping system (installed by World Vision of course). They were so grateful that they served everyone hot tea and coffee, as they reminisced the past filled with sickness from unclean water. Comparing life there and in Malaysia created a sharp gradient; clean water is much more accessible back home. Thinking of how numerous communities still lack the facility gave me a feeling of guilt.

Now every household can have water directly into their homes!

One of the most sobering moments in the trip was meeting the case study, Kecus. She was picked by the local Wahana Visi people to meet us, so that we would get a view of how children live there. We sat down with Kecus in a room, and she began to speak first about the challenges she faced. Her father had passed away several years ago, and she has had to work in the paddy fields to secure her family’s minute income. Her mother faces turbulent emotional phases, and she has to bear the effects of it. She has an elder brother who works all day at the field, and has resultantly dropped out of school. For such a sweet twelve year old, she has already had a tough beginning life at such a tender age. I have heard of tales of many people with tough lives, but hearing Kecus herself speak was a waking moment. A debate went on in my head; it is unfair for the poor girl to live a tough life, but since it is unfair, is there a more just alternative to it? It was then that I realized the phrase “Life is unfair” was irrelevant. How could you compare your life to another and say it is unfair, when every life is different and unique from another? The phrase itself is an unjust testament to so many people in dire situations.

Us, interacting with Kecus, an extraordinary 12-year old

Yet, the meeting also showed the rest of the team and I how resilient and hopeful a individual could be. Later on, Kecus told us that she wanted to be a teacher, and to even visit Europe someday. It was enlightening and refreshing to see such a young person aspire to achieve her goal. It was a stark comparison to how kids were back in Malaysia. Even if they live in cushier lives, they don’t bother to really think about the future; it is like taking time for granted. As for Kecus, I honestly hope that she will reach her two goals someday.

Kecus who inspired us much and I hope her dreams to visit Europe and become a teacher will be realised.

Stay connected here for the final part of Mark’s journey…saying goodbyes to the land he has grew to love but the experiences stay forever.

More pictures in World Vision Malaysia’s facebook