If you were to visit Abdul Kareem at his home

in southern India, you would see acres of rich

forest with abundant wildlife. But it hasnt
always been that way. Twenty-five years ago,
the area was a series of dry, rocky, lifeless hills.

Jika Anda mengunjungi Abdul Kareem rumah

di sebelah selatan India, Anda akan melihat
berhektar-hektar hutan leban yang dihuni oleh
satwa liar. Tetapi dulu tidak demikian. Dua
puluh lima tahun yang lalu, daerah ini adalah
perbukitan kering, berbatu dan tanpa
kehidupan.

Kareem was strangely drawn to the area

during visits to his wifes family, who lived
there. On an impulse, he bought five acres. In
spaces between rocks, he planted saplings of
trees native to the region. The well on the
property barely yielded a bucketful of water at
a time, so for three summers Kareem used a
motorbike to haul water from a source a
kilometer (about 2/3 mile) away. During this
time he also bought land from neighbors who
were happy to exchange their desolate
properties for cash.
Anehnya Kareem merasa tertarik ke sana
sewaktu mengunjungi keluarga istrinya,
yang bermukim di sana. Berdasarkan
dorongan hati, dia membeli lima hektar. Di
antara bebatuan, dia menanam pohon
cangkokan dari daerah itu. Sumur yang ada
di situ hampir-hampir tidak mengeluarkan
air, sehingga selama tiga kali musim panas
Kareem mengendarai motornya membawa
air dari sumber sejauh satu kilometer. Pada
saat itu dia juga membeli tanah tetangga
sebelah yang gembira menukar tanah kering
mereka dengan uang tunai.

The fourth year, Kareems efforts began

to pay off. The new vegetation, sparse as
it was, helped his land retain more
rainwater. The water level in his well rose,
and that made it possible for him to
gradually plant and tend the rest of his
property, which had grown to nearly 13
hectares (32 acres).

Tahun ke empat, usaha Kareem mulai

membawa hasil. Vegetasi yang baru,
meski pun masih jarang-jarang,
membantu menyimpan air hujan. Taraf
air di sumurnya meningkat, dan
memungkinkan bagi Kareem untuk
perlahan-lahan menanam dan
mengelola tanahnya, yang telah
berkembang sehingga menjadi sekitar 13
hektar.

The transformation was slow but steady.

As the saplings grew, birds flocked to the
area and sowed the seeds of a variety of
other plants. Year by year, more
vegetation grew and more wildlife
arrived. With few resources at his
disposal, Kareem has changed his part of
the world, day by day and step by
patient step.
Perubahan itu lambat tetapi stabil.
Bersamaan dengan bertumbuhnya
pepohonan, burung-burung datang dan
menabur aneka ragam benih tanaman.
Tahun demi tahun, semakin banya
vegetasi yang bertumbuh, semakin
banyak satwa liar yang datang. Dengan
sumber daya yang tak seberapa, Kareem
telah merubah dunia bagiannya, hari
demi hari dan langkah demi langkah
yang disertai dengan kesabaran.

Created by www.freekidstories.org
Art The Family International. Adapted from an article in Activated
magazine. Used with permission. Original source:
www.goodnewsindia.com/Pages/content/
inspirational/abdulKareem.html