As a group of high school students arrive at a small village called Melaya. A crowd of children gather and watch in curiosity. Among the crowd is a girl named Kania; the only one who confidently approaches the group of migrating students. The people they meet exude joy and generosity, one of whom in particular is Kania, the girl who lives in the neighbouring house from where the group is staying. The girl came and greeted them with a sincere smile before they could introduce themselves. This is unlike what they have seen from the other kids. Kania makes the first few moments at the village memorable.

 

Ni Komang Kania Ayu Pebrianti is a loveable girl from Melaya village who had just turned ten years old this month. Kania studies in Sekolah Dasar Negeri 6 Melaya. She is currently living with her mother, while her father works as a truck driver and is constantly traveling. She has two older sisters and both of them already have jobs and are living by themselves: one works at a mobile phone store and the other works at a mini market, only one of them has an university degree. Kania has another future for her in mind.

Kania is known to her friends as a kind and smart girl, just as she had told us in our interview with her. Her intelligence is further proven by her mother, Komang Sarini, who claimed she ranked first in her grade. However, she revealed that she had dropped down to the second rank because, funnily enough, she was not as diligent in studying as she said she was. In spite of this, she is passionate enough about a successful future to ask for extracurricular lessons to improve herself and reclaim the first rank.

After getting to know Kania better, we learned that she wants to be a doctor. Regardless of what doctor that may be, her biggest dream is to build her own hospital near her house to help other people. She displayed confidence in her ability to do so when she told us her scores are considerably high compared to other students with a big smile on her face. One thing that surprised us was that she wanted to change nothing more in her village than build her own hospital in Melaya and devote her life to serving as a doctor — free of charge.

Despite her big ambitions, unfortunately, her family may not have the resources to support her. With where her sisters are working now there’s a chance her future is the same. Her father and sister’s monthly wages are out of medical school’s hundred million range. Even then, there is still hope for her. This hope can be seen in the Village Head who came from an impoverished background, did not pass middle school, yet still managed to succeed and now lives a lavish life.

Kania wishes to please her parents and make them proud, while her mother lets her pursue what she pleases as long as she is happy. Their resemblance is evident in their hopes for the betterment of the village: Kania’s longing for a hospital located nearby and Ms. Sarini’s want for an even distribution of health insurance (Kartu Indonesia Sehat) among the disadvantaged villagers. Small villages, and the rest of the world, need this kind of morality. Kania is a reflection of the community that is Melaya Village — mutual support and consideration for others — as small villages are typically collectivist.

Within this report it can be seen that the core of Melaya Village is in its youth, with bright kids like Kania. Her pure intentions to do good and give back to the community in which she is raised is something other kids, as well as adults, can follow or bear in mind. A kid’s virtuous mindset is not the only solution to problems faced by small villages, but also the support of the older generation raising them. On top of health insurance, as stated by Ms. Sarini, with flawed institutions such as education, government support should be expected for a better environment, and, in turn, a better future for Kania and other kids of Melaya Village.