Suara anak-anak Alam

Perjalanan menuju Desa Songan terasa sangat mengesankan. Andai kau bisa ikut denganku, kau akan merasakan hidup yang lain, sebuah bagian yang barangkali tak tersentuh oleh siapapun. Jalan-jalan berliku penuh bebatuan. Panjang dan lengang sepanjang desa. Kabut menutupi pegunungan dan juga membuat kabur warna sebagian atap rumah. Kawan yang mengendarai sepeda motor berulang kali berseru, masih belum percaya dengan apa yang dilihatnya.

Sesekali aku merekam keindahan itu, sebelum akhirnya sampai di sebuah rumah seorang mantri. Jemari kami mulai menggigil, belum terbiasa dengan dingin angin. Tiga orang bocah berpakaian amat sederhana, atasan kaos gomblor dan celana pendek di atas lutut menyambut kami dengan penuh kehangatan, seraya berkata, “Agus, Anak Alam”. Dengan penuh keyakinan kata-kata itu terlontar dari mulutnya. Sebuah awal yang mengagumkan.

Gerimis mulai menyapa kami yang hendak melanjutkan perjalanan menjenguk kawan-kawan anak alam di atas sana, di Desa Blandingan, Kintamani. Ternyata jalan yang kita tempuh kali ini penuh dengan tantangan. Tidak lagi hanya sekadar panjang, berliku atau berbatu, tapi juga terjal, sempit, penuh cekungan, dan licin. Perlahan dan penuh kepastian kami lalui semua itu, hingga kemudian terdengar lamat-lamat seruan anak-anak. Memang benar, setibanya di sebuah wantilan berpagar kayu, puluhan anak-anak alam berbaris, sambil melambai berseru ke arah kami.

Betapa bahagianya mereka, betapa riang senyum itu. Dan aku lebih bahagia lagi bisa dipertemukan dengan anak-anak asuhan sang ‘alam’. Wajah-wajah itu, tak bisa lepas dari ingatanku, suara-suara itu selalu mengisi halaman-halaman pagi hariku. Dengan penuh semangat dan keberanian, mereka segera berbaris layaknya menghadiri pelajaran di sekolah. Mereka tidak peduli walau harus bertelanjang kaki, atau berpakaian penuh lumpur setelah membantu orang tua menyabit rumput di ladang, atau harus menggendong adik-adiknya yang masih bayi.

Tak lama berselang, ketika anak-anak asyik bernyanyi, dari kejauhan, terlihat seorang anak perempuan berlari tergesa-gesa, barangkali ingin ikut bergabung, belajar bersama-sama. Rambutnya berantakan, pakaiannya basah, ia segera mengambil barisan di belakang. Kuperhatikan anak itu, betapa miris diriku ketika melihat lalat-lalat mendekat dan hinggap di kaki, tangan, kadang juga diwajahnya. Tapi ia tak peduli, ia sama sekali tidak hirau.

Sementara, di depan seorang bocah laki-laki membacakan sebuah puisi berjudul layang-layang. Kata seorang teman, puisi itu sering ia bacakan sambil memetik cabai di ladang atau menunggui ternaknya makan. Bisa kau bayangkan bukan, bagaimana ia membaca puisi di sebuah ladang yang lapang dengan diiringi musik berupa suara alir sungai, kicauan burung-burung, ketukan bambu-bambu, atau gesekan dedaunan. Pastilah sangat menyenangkan.

Sebelum akhirnya kami mesti berpisah, beruntung aku sempat mendengar mereka mengutarakan impian-impiannya. Beberapa di antaranya ada yang ingin menjadi guru, dokter, polisi, suster, bahkan ada seorang anak yang dengan lugunya berkata, ”Saya ingin jadi tukang penyabit rumput”. Ya, apapun impian mereka, semuanya akan tercapai dengan caranya masing-masing. Ia bisa menjadi pemimpin penyabit rumput untuk ratusan atau mungkin ribuan sapinya.

Aku terdiam sejenak, dan bertanya pada diriku, ‘Apa impianmu?’. Setelah melihat anak-anak itu, aku tidak tahu bagaimana harus menjawabnya. Tapi aku ingin sekali kelak suatu hari mendengar mereka berhasil meraih mimpi-mimpi itu. Aku jadi semakin yakin, setelah seorang rekan bergumam, “Entah mengapa, aku percaya, anak itu akan seorang model yang sukses”. Aku hanya tersenyum.

Begitulah semua itu terjadi, sebuah kehidupan yang tak pernah terbayangkan dalam benak kita. Semoga suara dan semangat anak-anak alam itu terbawa gaungnya hingga ke celah tersempit negeri ini.

cheerrsss
sud

LIVE IN LOVE WITH THE CHILDREN OF NATURE THROUGH EDUCATION

About a week ago I read Balinese Local Newspaper which called Bali Post. It was bloody news about Balinese eleven age girl who was sex abused by her own father. Her father did it about seventh times. But, she decided to hide that terrible deed because she was not braves enough to tell it to others, even her mother. She is getting trauma now and never willing to talk anymore. The newspaper also cited that she is living in Karangasem regency, rural area in Bali and she grows up in uneducated family.

After read that news, I began to think it deeply. I am trying to break down that case to find out the main causes. How could it happen? Definitely, the factor is not only one. It was related to social, education, physical, and also financial problem. But, I do believe that the key is education. It is the basic element to create a better world. Only by providing education we could help them to come out from that horrible thing.

I created my vision then. “I envision a world where children, especially in rural area reach their full potential through education to enable them live in love in peaceful and harmonious world.” In creating this statement, I was inspired by Victor Hugo’s quote, “The man who opens a school door, closes a prison.”

Besides, the case above also reminded me with thousands disadvantages children who live in Blandingan village, Kintamani, the remotest area in Bangli district, Bali Province, Indonesia. I met them about 3 (three) months ago. They called themselves The Children of Nature. Most of them could not continue their study, at least they just graduate from elementary school. They do not have any access of information and technology, education, healthcare, even protection. They lack of everything.

Based on the brave conversation with several children there, they told me that, In Blandingan, there is only one elementary school with two till three teachers which come teach just two till three times in a week. Besides, they need to walk about 2 (two) hours to go school. And if they want to enter junior high school, they must go to city and it needs a huge amount of money. Cause of those things, they decide to stop studying.

As a result, they just stay in village, do everything what their parent command, such as help them in the field, looking after their younger sister or brother, and selling something like food door to door. They totally forget to study. And their parents seem never mind about this, because they only think about food. Perhaps, on certain situation, when the family got financial problem, they might be the next victim of parent’s terrible deed.

Actually, children, whose age like ‘white paper’, have their own world. Probably, in their mind, this world is full of beautifulness, sincerity, and they just laughter every day. In creating their future, those children, The Children of Nature, need to get proper education. As elder people, we could not contaminate that ‘paper’ with something bad. We have to protect them; we have to give back their own world.
What should we do then? I think the simple and doable thing that we can do is find out young teacher that willing to be volunteer to teach in a nice way which hopefully could motivated, inspired, strengthen, and also increase children’s confidence. For three till six months, those young teachers will stay in that rural area.

As the first step, we will hold teacher training, cooperate with some foundation or NGO like Karuna Bali Foundation and also institution such as IKIP PGRI BALI (university for student who willing to be teacher). As sustainability of this idea, we will try to engage others people to do charity; it could be scholarship, stationary, food, etc. Then, hopefully, we could bring some children to junior, senior, even university.

If most of children in this world, particularly, who live in rural area get proper education, I do believe that they able to create a better future. They will start to open their mind; they will know whether something right or wrong; they will able to protect themselves; even they will understand how to solve any problem in this world. In addition, this kind of action also could increase youth solidarity and awareness to sharing with each other.

What we do just all about love. We hope that the children and all God’s creation could live in love in peaceful and harmonious world. Do not let that eleven age girl’s case, happen to other children. Act now together for children. By doing simple thing, we make a great change for the betterment of life. Yes, we can.


cherrsss,
sud