Life Beyond the Bali Street Kids Supported by YKPA

        




I feel very sad when I recall the first moments I got to know street children more deeply. Their age should be spent in school, playing with friends, and enjoying childhood. However, they have to be on the streets, selling bracelets, begging, or selling fruit to earn money. Even then, the money is not fully used by the children themselves; most of it has to be handed over to their boss or adults, or even family members who brought them from the village to live in Kuta, Bali, where many tourists pass by enjoying Bali.

Their age should be for schooling and playing, not working hard to earn money. I wondered, what could I do for them? Just giving them food is not enough to help them. Then the idea of providing them with education came up. But where to start? Sending them to formal school would be difficult. 


One night, I heard that some street children were arrested by the local security (trantib). That night, at 1:30 AM, I went to see them. They were arrested and lying on the ceramic floor like fish. I saw the frightened faces of the little children. I couldn’t imagine the trauma of their childhood with such experiences. How could they receive love and protection from their parents like other children?

Living on the streets can make them vulnerable to various forms of abuse, both sexual from tourists or adult strangers, and physical abuse. A hard life can happen anytime and every moment. The feeling of pressure and worry can worsen because something bad can happen at any time.

There was a story from the local security (that most street children are afraid of them. Even from a distance of 500 meters, if they see the shadow of the trantib, they will run as fast as possible to hide or avoid being caught. One trantib officer told me that one day he was just walking around without being on duty, but the street children recognized his face and ran away in fear. One of the children was hit by a car and died. The trantib officer did not intend to catch or scare them. It was very unfortunate.


Trantib officers are also human. They are only tasked with maintaining security, not being evil to street children. Many of them are kind-hearted like police officers in general. They have feelings and families. However, some street children like to steal and pickpocket tourists’ wallets who pass by in Popis 1 and Popis 2 in Kuta, Bali. Not all street children do that, but some have crime ingrained in their minds since childhood, maybe because they are forced or no longer cute enough to sell bracelets as teenagers. 

If we trace it, who is to blame and who should be responsible? The parents who gave birth to them in this world do not take responsibility for their lives. I feel I can’t do much to help them, even though my heart is very sad to see their reality. Imagining my child, Gustu, who is still small and the same size as them, I could never imagine that happening to him, even though I am a single mother.

At that time, I thought of helping with the small things they needed. I asked one of them, Risky, and his brother. Every night I saw them selling bracelets on the street. Risky is the cutest, most charming, and polite child. It’s a pity that such a good child is on the streets every night without schooling. I asked him what he wanted. He answered, “I really want to go to school and wear a red and white uniform like other children my age.” Tears came out of my eyes hearing those words. I was determined to fight for them to get an education, hoping their dreams would come true. 

Please follow and stay tuned for the next story. I will be uploading a video soon, which is currently in progress. Your comments and feedback are greatly appreciated. Thank you very much for reading and watching the video. Don’t forget to subscribe! 



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eet7X5F76H4

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