What is a gold coated medal worth to you? It depends on the event where you earned it, others will say. The athletes who gave their time, talents and life to train to compete in the sport they excel in know the elation that a medal brings.
To others who compete in academic challenges, the feelings would be somehow the same.
To a kid who never once dreamed that she could really go to school and learn to read and write, earning a certificate as proof that she passed was truly awesome. But to top it all, getting a medal for belonging to the top 10 of around 200 kids is really something. After all for these kids in Sabah, their parents thought it was impossible for their kids to learn. Not that they did not want to, but because they are undocumented kids.
This boy is Badawi. Ten months ago, he cannot read nor write until the learning center opened at his kampong. For most of the boys his age, they would shy away from the center because they feel that they are too big already to learn. Not Badawi. He goes to work in the morning and attends the afternoon class. Last time when we had dentists friends visiting, he was a very much reliable dental assistant. We knew that time that another world aside from his kampong opened in his mind. That he could be someone other than the boy who gets paid lifting heavy things or washing pots and pans.
It was another milestone when his efforts paid off. He passed the Basic Literacy Program and was one of those on top of his class. His teacher was very proud, and of course his parents too. But I think no one was happier than Badawi that day. He knew this was just a beginning of another road ahead.