Broken Crayons Bring Life to Sanitation Worker's Daughter's Dream

JAKARTA – In a corner of the Puri Kartika area in Ciledug, Tangerang City, a young girl sits cross-legged with a stack of papers in her lap.

The crayons she holds are no longer intact. Some are broken, others reduced to mere fragments of colour.

Yet from these broken pieces, the dream of Agista Saputri (10) slowly comes to life.

Within five minutes, one drawing is complete. A house with a red roof, a mountain with a sunset, a beach with calm waves.

“Some cost Rp5,000, some cost Rp10,000,” said Agista when met by Kompas.com at her home on Jalan Raden Fatah, Ciledug, Tangerang City, on Thursday (26 February 2026).

For A4-size HVS paper, she charges Rp5,000. A3-size costs Rp10,000. In a day, three to four drawings can sell.

“The money is for buying rice,” she said, showing her drawings.

The amount may seem small to many. But for Agista, one drawing means her family’s kitchen needs are met.

She comes to her sales location alone, in the morning around 09.00–11.00 or in the afternoon from 15.00 until dusk. She carries the stack of papers in her small hands.

“Selling at Puri Kartika was my own idea,” she said.

“I can take custom orders too,” she added.

For Agista, drawing is not merely about helping her parents.

Sitting by the roadside, facing strangers, is her way of building courage.