Deviana Esbapan, nama gadis cilik berusia 7 tahun itu, berdiri di sela-sela bilik-bilik papan yang ditempati beberapa keluarga. Sesekali memandang ke dalam bilik, terngiang pesan mamanya “...ko jaga adik-adik, mama pulang sore.”
Deviana Esbapa, the 7 year old little girl, was leaning on wooden chambers occupied by few families. Occasionally she glanced into the chamber. She could remember the voice of her mother, saying “…take a good care of your siblings. I’ll return home after the sunset.”
Mama Devi, begitu ia biasa dipanggil, sehari-hari bekerja mencari besi tua untuk dijual. Mencoba menopang ekonomi keluarga, membantu sang suami yang bekerja sebagai tukang babat rumput di kantor Dinas Pekerjaan Umum. Sekalipun pendapatannya tidak menentu, namun itulah penyambung hidup mereka.
Mama Devi, so people call her, everyday has to look for pieces of old unused iron to sell. To add her family income, she helps her husband who does traditional grass cutting in the office of the department of public works. Though the money they make is very insufficient, but they don’t quit.
Dari sorot matanya nampak sekali Devi ingin segera berlari ke Rumah Belajar di samping Pelabuhan Merauke. Di sana teman-teman pasti sudah berkumpul untuk mulai belajar, aktivitas rutin di pagi hari. Di pagi hari Rumah Belajar yang didukung oleh Yayasan Tangan Pengharapan itu selalu ramai dengan “Anak-Anak Suku” yang putus sekolah, buta huruf atau anak-anak usia dini yang ingin belajar baca tulis, sementara para orang tua sibuk sebagai buruh kasar di pelabuhan dan berbagai tempat lain.
From the look in her eyes, Devi wished she could’ve run to the ‘Rumah Belajar’ situated besides the Merauke port. She believed her friends had gathered there to learn. This was another morning activity. In the morning the ‘Rumah Belajar’ supported by Yayasan Tangan Pengharapan was crowded with dropouts, illiterate and preschoolers who wanted to learn how to read and write, while their parents as labors went to work in port nearby or any other places.
Namun hari ini, sepertinya hasrat Devi harus dipendamnya....Terkadang Devi pun harus ikut di atas sebuah pick-up bersama mamanya dan mama-mama yang lain pergi ke rawa-rawa yang jaraknya sekitar 150 km dari distrik Merauke untuk mencari ikan. Di saat teman-teman seusianya menikmati pendidikan yang baik, Devi harus menjadi seorang pekerja “pemungut ikan” bersama mamanya.
But today it seemed Devi had to bury her desire…. Sometimes she had to come with her mother and other women on a pickup truck to swamp areas about 150 km from Merauke district to catch fish. When her friends of her age were studying, Devi had to catch fish out in the swamps with her mother.
Ikan-ikan itu dicari dengan cara manual. Para “pemungut ikan” seperti Devi harus memasukkan tangannya ke dalam rawa-rawa, meraba-raba, dan jika terasa ada ikan tangan Devi dengan sigap menangkapnya. Hasil tangkapan kemudian dibagi dengan orang yang menyewa pick-up.
They catch fish manually. Fish catchers as Devi, put their hands into the swamp, feeling, and if there is a fish, Devi catches it spryly. Then she shared the fish she caught with the pickup truck lessee.
Alih-alih menjadi sesuatu yang menyenangkan, pekerjaan ini merupakan sebuah resiko besar, jika mengingat rawa-rawa adalah rumah bagi ular dan lintah, bukan bagi gadis mungil bernama Deviana Esbapan....
Instead of bringing excitement, this work is very risky since swamp is a home to venomous snakes and leeches, not a home for a little girl named Deviana Esbapan….
“Lebih enak ada di sekolah ( Rumah Belajar)....” Devi menggumam sambil menunduk. “Saya mau jadi guru seperti Mama Ibu....”
“It’s much better being at school (Rumah Belajar)….” said Devi, bowing her head. “My aspiration is to be a teacher just like Mama Ibu… (a name given to an honored woman).
Siapa yang bisa benar-benar memahami keinginan hati Devi? Kemiskinan keluarga memaksa Devi menjadi seorang pekerja di usia kecil. Dan berada di ruang belajar bersama teman-teman adalah sesuatu yang bisa membuat matanya berbinar. Itu sebabnya kehadiran Yayasan Tangan Pengharapan center Merauke menjadi secerca harapan bagi Devi beserta teman – temannya.
Who can really understand what Devi wants? Poverty that traps her family forces her to be a labor at her young age. Being in the classroom with her classmates makes her eyes glowing. That’s why Tangan Pengharapan in Merauke becomes a hope for Devi and her friends.