This 64-year-old man in western Sumatra is still working as a coconut tree climber after more than 50 years, despite having gone blind.

Dasir, despite being blind from the age of 3, is a highly skilful coconut harvester, revealing in interviews in March 2018 that he is able to climb as many as 30 coconut trees a day.

However, he is still very poor, being paid by keeping 3 of every 10 coconuts he gathers. Currently he lives in a small home of around 4 x 6 metres floorspace, meaning he was not able to accommodate his two children, who live with their grandparents.

To get customers, Dasir walks around his village, offering his services to climb and collect coconuts. When asked if he would be safer begging, rather than risk his life for coconuts, Dasir answered that he would be too ashamed to beg.

When also asked about the risk of being stung by poisonous moths in coconut trees, he responded that he would climb at night since the moths are blind then, and it makes no difference to him.

This sixty-four-year-old blind man did not surrender, though he could not see because his eyes were blind, 64-year-old Dasir kept trying to work as a coconut tree climber to meet his life needs. In one day, he could climb as many as 30 coconut trees ten grains, Dasir earns 3 coconut coconuts. The coconut tree climber has done this since 50 years ago. The house where Dasir lived is very poor, the ground floor with the size of 4 x 6 meters is not able to accommodate his two children to live in his house, so that her two children were forced to live with their grandmother, the parents of Dasir. The result of this coconut picking is used to support their own household. To get customers, Dasir walks around the village, offering his services to climb and lower the coconut fruit. when Dasir is asked why not work as a beggar? Dasir also replied firmly that he was ashamed to work as a beggar.
TRANSCRIPT:

How many coconut trees a day do you climb sir?

In a day it can be up to thirty trees.

If today how many trees are there?
Today ten trees.

How much will you get from climbing coconuts?

My reward from 10 coconuts is 3 coconuts.

If the coconut tree has moths how to work it, sir?

If there are moths I climb at night, because day and night for me is the same.