REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BOGOR – His height is only a belly of an adult and his body is even smaller than a tire frame. Edi Maldiansyah or Edi is only a 12 year old boy and sits in sixth grade in elementary school.

Edi is a tire patcher. His fingers seemed weak when he pulled the cords on the tire that he fixed. When he took off a tire, he already looked tired. He then put the tire in the floor. His curled his lips. His jaw was chattered when he tried to pull the tire off the frame.

If he was not struggle enough, he would not have enough power to do that. He would take a little rest after he put the puncture in rubber heater. He sat, leaned his back and stretched his muscle.

Edi is still young. Every day, he helps his aging father, Safulloh, patching the tire in Bogor, West Java. Edi has helped his father for two years. Edi starts his activity after school. While Edi is taking care of the kiosk, his father takes some rest at home.

Before the evening, Edi goes home and Safulloh takes over the job. With his duty, Edi cannot have time to play with his friends. But he never object nor complain.

“If I cannot help my father, I will not get some pocket money,” he said. Working from day to noon, Edi gets 15,000 IDR a day. He always gives the money to his father. “I only get 2,000 IDR,” Edi said.

He has never complained about it. He understands his parents face difficulty in life. He is still grateful that he can study at school while his four siblings cannot. Safulloh’s income as tire patcher and Eti, Edi’s mother, income as snack seller are not enough to support the school fees of their children.

“My siblings are dropouts,” said the fifth of six siblings. Thus, Edi has never given up his dream as a good mechanic. it seems, hardship never let him lose hope. 

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