Inspiring 9-Year-Old Boy Allegedly Walks 10KM To Work As Mascot To Pay For School Fees, Rent & Food

By
Ashley Seek
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COVID-19 has taken a hard toll on most of our lives.

The virus, undoubtedly, has caused the economy to suffer from people either having lost their jobs or taking a pay cut.

But imagine braving the virus to walk miles on end to get to your job while being just a kid.

Boy Supports Family

Instagram user @rhmadii__ did an interview with a boy named Rehan from Indonesia.

The 9-year-old works as a mascot wearing street performer in order to help support his family.

Rehan said that his mother’s income is only able to cover the rental of their home.

Deciding to ease his mother’s burden, the boy decided to become a “street clown”.

View this post on Instagram

EDISI KEHIDUPAN…. Setiap hari, Rehan harus bangun pagi-pagi betul agar atraksinya bisa disaksikan oleh para pekerja kantoran dan warga disekitar jalan Gatot Subroto… Bagi sebagian orang, atraksi badut jalanan yang disuguhkan Rehan dinilai ampuh untuk mengusir rasa suntuk di tengah padatnya jalan Gatot subroto. Namun, ada beberapa hal penting yang luput dari pikiran mereka. Pertunjukkan yang mereka anggap menarik itu sebetulnya dilakukan oleh anak di bawah umur, bahkan termasuk dalam kategori eksploitasi anak. Menurut pengakuan Rehan, keputusannya menjadi Badut jalanan didasari oleh motif ekonomi agar ia bisa memenuhi kebutuhan sehari-hari. Ibunya yang bekerja serabutan hanya mampu mengumpulkan uang untuk membayar biaya sewa kontrakan. Jika ada rejeki berlebih, uang tersebut sengaja disisihkan untuk biaya sekolahnya. “Uangnya lumayan. Bisa buat beli Nasi bungkus untuk dibawa pulang ke rumah,” tutur Rehan Agar atraksinya menarik perhatian banyak orang, Rehan memperlihatkan jogetan kecilnya. Sementara untuk urusan kostum dan kepala boneka, Rehan mengaku selalu mengganti kostumnya setiap hari. Sang penyedia kostum juga menyediakan beberapa pilihan kepala boneka yang didesain menyerupai tokoh-tokoh kartun, mulai dari Dora the Explorer, Upin dan Ipin, hingga Spongebob Squarepants. Kepala dan bajunya saya sewa. Saya tidak tahu biayanya, karena ibu yang membayar,” ungkap Rehan sembari menyeka keringat yang menetes di kelopak matanya. Setiap hari Rehan memang sengaja berangkat pagi-pagi buta, bahkan sebelum mentari pagi bersinar. Selain mengincar mobil-mobil yang terjebak macet, ia ingin menyisihkan waktu di sore hari untuk bermain bola di rumah. Lepas Sholat Isya saya biasanya langsung pulang ke rumah bersama ibu setelah ibu selesai beberes kebersihan halaman Alfamart jl. Gatot subroto kata Rehan Namun saat ditanya, apakah ia dan ibunya nyaman dengan profesi mereka saat ini, Rehan mengaku senang dapat membantu memberikan uang tambahan kepada ibunya. Kendati demikian, Rehan tidak memungkiri bahwa terkadang ia merasa lelah karena harus berjalan hingga sejauh 10 km dari rumahnya.

A post shared by KONTEN INSPIRATIF (@rhmadii__) on

Still, getting to work is not an easy feat.

The Working Hustle

In Singapore, we take for granted that places are pretty close by since our country is small.

That is not the case for Rehan.

Every day, he has to walk 10km to work to the streets and traffic of Jalan Gatot Subroto in South Kalimantan.

And for those who’ve been to or stay there, you know how wild the traffic can get.

Image: tempo.co English

Once there, Rehan performs for drivers stuck in traffic or office workers on their way to work.

The boy claims that the pay is actually “not bad” and that he would have enough to buy a packet of rice home.

Aside from food and rental, he would also use any extras to pay his school fees.

Rehan also says that during work, he would use a different costume each time to ensure a fresh performance.

These include characters like Tom and Jerry, Dora the Explorer and Spongebob Squarepants.

Image: Instagram (@rhmadii__)

When asked if he finds the job comfortable, Rehan merely said that helping his mom with the extra cash already makes him happy.

As of this writing, the post has over 10,800 views and more than 210 comments.

Breaking Netizens Hearts

Naturally, the post reached the hearts of many who saw it.

Image: Instagram (@rhmadii__)

Many of them also expressed wanting to help Rehan in his difficult situation. One person even suggested starting a gofundme page.

You got to admit that it’s inspiring to see such maturity in a kid who has lived for less than a decade.

Most of us don’t even start working part-time until our late teens. Meanwhile, this kid is trying to support his family at such a young age.

We hope Rehan’s situation will gradually improve despite this virus pandemic.

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Ashley Seek
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