Leo

You can learn from anyone. And, today I learned from Leo.

Leo, 17, is one of the children growing and living in the halfway house I visited today with Shoebox Project. Every volunteer, including me, got to choose two children whom we will teach about brushing teeth. One of the children is Leo.

The second I saw Leo, he is not like other children. He is calm, not dare to look me in the eye. He talks polite language. He knows how to behave well. I was curious to know more about him, so I asked questions.

He did not hesitate.

From his story, I know that he originated from Lampung. His father died when he was young, leaving him with his mother, older brother and younger brother. Not long after that, his older brother died, he did not tell me the reason. About five years ago he left home to work at Bakauheuni harbor. He was an iron-diver, so he called himself. He did explained it a bit, yet I still did not get what the job was about. Since then he never returned home, by his choice. After a couple of months working as a iron-diver, his mother looked for him at the harbor. Unfortunately he was not there, he learned it only from his friend. However he told me that he was relieved. He did not want his mother to look at him like that. That was the last time he heard about his mother. A friend of him asked him to leave Lampung for Java, to look for a job. Leo agreed to that. His friend took him to Bogor, where he grew as a Street Child. He lived by the day, slept on the street. He traveled to some other cities. He learned the hardness of living in the street. He has experienced most of the gangster war, fights, being bitten, being stabbed and stitched back. He learned hunger. He has learned how to survive on the street. After a year, a friend of him brought him along to the Halfway House. Since then, he has been calling this place, Home.

Leo wants a better life. He does not see that this life is the only life the world has to offer him. He determined that someday he must go home. I asked, ‘why don’t you just go home?’

He answered, ‘I can’t go home like this. I don’t want to go home until I can earn something here in Jakarta, and bring some money home.’. And I did not have further questions.

He continued the story. Some months ago he was luckily chosen to be sent to Bogor for a 6-week sewing course. He learned how to sew shirts. After graduated, he applied for a job, and he received an offer from a factory in Bogor. He will start after lebaran. He told me that he will be in a sort of probation period for several months. He will receive trainings, so that he can master the pattern and get used to the machine. He will also receive lunch which for this arrangement some monthly cost will be taken out his salary. After he is qualified, he will be entitled as the ‘Official Labor’, and he will be given real task and gather with the other offcial labor. He will be earning IDR 950,000 by then. Looking into his eyes, I just knew that he is looking forward to it, to earning his own money and to bringing it to his mother, to coming home.

Leo has taught me about ‘determination’ today – to never stop fighting, to keep moving forward. Leo has also taught me about Hope, and how the universe somehow makes it for you if you keep your dream on your hand. Leo is only 17. But when people say that those who has experience the worst are the wisest, it might be true to certain degree. I just can’t believe that such determination comes from a 17 years old child.

And I am blessed to witness this story. Thank You, Leo!

 

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