This meatball seller repaired the road in his village using his own money, the total cost was almost IDR 10 billion.

Viral penjual bakso perbaiki jalan dusun di Kabupaten Malang pakai uang pribadi. (dok. Ist)

Apart from repairing roads, this meatball trader also builds public facilities in his village in Malang.

Recently, a video of a meatball seller repairing a road in Dusun Segelan Sidomulyo, Malang Regency, went viral on TikTok. In the video, a striking change can be seen from the road which was originally just dirt to a smooth concrete road. Interestingly, all of the repair costs came from the personal money of a meatball seller named Ferry, not from village or government funds.

Ferry, who now lives in Batam, started the project in 2017. The development coordinator, Sunardi, explained that Ferry invited village officials to discuss the road construction plan. From the discussion, seven working groups were formed, each consisting of 17-18 people to plan the construction of this road.

The project is focused on the residential area of Dusun Segelan Sidomulyo. Sunardi added that after the fifth phase is completed, there are still plans for casting concrete rebates and building a school building which is also funded by Ferry.

According to Sunardi, the cost of casting concrete rebates and drainage has reached around Rp1.7 billion. If calculated as a whole for all public facilities that have been built, the total is close to Rp10 billion, all funded by Ferry.

The locals were very enthusiastic about Ferry's initiative. They also participated by providing food for the residents who worked together in this project. Although the project is still ongoing, residents have started to maintain the completed road by planting plants on the shoulder of the road and cleaning up trash regularly.

After all the construction is completed, Sunardi stated that they will hold an inauguration event to appreciate Ferry and his family. The residents of Dusun Segelan Sidomulyo will express their deep gratitude for all the assistance that has been given.

Sunardi also hopes that the government will pay more attention to the lower classes in terms of infrastructure, education, and economy. He hopes that lower classes like them can feel the benefits of government programs.

On social media, many netizens have given their support and prayers for the smooth running of this project. Some TikTok users even reminded that this project should not be claimed as the work of the government. Some suggested writing on the entrance gate that this road was built with community funds, not from the government.

With the spirit of mutual cooperation and initiative from Ferry, this project is a real example of how one individual can bring big changes to his community. Hopefully this will inspire us all to contribute to the surrounding environment.

(brl/red)