“When Everything Was Lost, I Chose to Rise” From Survival to Possibility: The Journey of a Young Man Who Chose to Rise
Muhammad Fakih - Youth from Jakarta
"I went to the city with nothing but hope, and my first days were filled with fear, confusion, and homesickness."
I was only 16 years old when I decided to leave my hometown. I was just a junior high school graduate, with no higher diploma and no special skills. All I had was the courage to find better work so I could help my parents and change the fate of my simple family. I went to the city with nothing but hope, and my first days were filled with fear, confusion, and homesickness. Life in Jakarta was heavy and painful, but I kept going because I wanted to support the people waiting for me at home. Three years later, just when life was starting to feel a little more stable, tragedy came. My father passed away. The world felt like it collapsed, because the person who was my biggest reason to keep fighting was suddenly gone. Even though my heart was broken, I kept walking, carrying prayer and memories as my strength.
After my father’s death, I quit my previous job. I couldn’t stay there while my heart was still grieving. I followed my brother to Sumatra and worked as a construction laborer, digging soil every day under the burning sun. My hands were bruised, wounded, and full of calluses, but I survived. The pay was small and the work was hard, but that’s where I learned about endurance. In Sumatra, another bad news came, my mother fell sick. I went back home immediately. I abandoned work, plans, and dreams, because nothing was more important than being by my mother’s side. I took care of her for nine months: feeding her, bathing her, cleaning her, talking to her, and trying to bring back the memories she slowly lost to sickness. I sold the only thing I had was my motorcycle just to survive and to buy her needs. She grew thinner, weaker, and finally, she left. With both my parents gone, I felt like I no longer had a home, no longer had a voice calling my name, and no longer had direction. I lived with numbness, losing motivation, and slowly breaking down inside.
"I learned discipline, communication, confidence, and work ethic. I trained seriously because I knew this was my chance."
A year passed. I worked again as a laborer, and every day looked the same tired, dirty, and without purpose. I realized that if I continued like that, my life would go nowhere. So I stopped, not because I gave up, but because I wanted a different path. I started a small business and sold goods around the area for one year. It wasn’t easy, sometimes I earned, sometimes I didn’t but I learned to stand on my own feet. Until one day, I met LP4Y. I was scared at first, afraid to hope again, but I joined. LP4Y became the turning point. I learned discipline, communication, confidence, and work ethic. I trained seriously because I knew this was my chance. Slowly, things began to change. I received three internship opportunities in multinational companies, something I never imagined. And after that, I got a real job offer in a hotel. Today, I’m still working there, earning a better income, building my life, and chasing new dreams. I am also continuing my education because I believe it’s never too late to learn. One of my biggest dreams is to work abroad and pursue higher education. I may be a child who once lost everything, parents, direction, and hope but from that darkness, I rose again. And now, I move forward with the belief that my future is full of possibilities.
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