Two little girls stood against a mountain of plastic and a stubborn government. They did not use money or powerful friends to fight. They used their own empty stomachs. In a paradise famous for holidays, 10-year-old Isabel and 12-year-old Melati stopped eating. They pledged to fast from dawn to dusk until the Governor of Bali promised to ban plastic bags. They risked their health to save their island from drowning in rubbish. This is the extraordinary story of the sisters who went hungry to change the law.
The Spark in the Classroom
The story starts in 2013 on the island of Bali in Indonesia. Melati was 12 years old. Isabel was only 10. They sat in a classroom at the Green School and listened to a lesson about world leaders. The teacher spoke about Nelson Mandela and Princess Diana. The teacher also told the story of Mahatma Gandhi. The girls learned how Gandhi used peaceful protests to change the fate of an entire nation.
Most kids leave school and forget the lesson by the time they get home. Melati and Isabel were different. The lesson stuck with them. They walked home and asked themselves a huge question. They wanted to know what they could do right now. They did not want to wait until they became adults. They looked at their beautiful island home and saw a plastic disaster. Plastic bags choked the rivers. Rubbish piled up on the beaches. The sisters decided they had to act immediately.
A Plastic Nightmare
The girls did some research and found shocking facts. Indonesia was the second-biggest plastic polluter in the world after China. In Bali alone, people recycled less than five per cent of plastic bags. The rest of the rubbish poisoned the land and the sea. The sisters launched a group called Bye Bye Plastic Bags.
They started with simple steps. They gave presentations at schools. They handed out organic bags to replace plastic ones. They built a team of other kids who wanted to help. But the problem was too big for just a few volunteers. They needed the government to pass a law. They needed a total ban on plastic bags.
The One Hundred Thousand Signatures
Melati and Isabel knew they needed to show the government that people cared. They went to the Bali International Airport to collect signatures for a petition. It was hard work for two young girls. They had to speak to thousands of strangers from all over the world. They spent hours asking people to sign their names.
They did not stop until they collected 100,000 signatures. It was a massive pile of paper. They took this proof to the local government offices. But the officials did not open the door. The sisters knocked and called, but nobody listened. The Governor of Bali seemed too busy to talk to children. The girls felt ignored. They knew they had to do something louder.
The Sunrise to Sunset Fast
They remembered the lesson about Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi used hunger strikes to get attention for his cause. Melati and Isabel decided to follow his lead. They announced a dawn-to-dusk hunger strike. This meant they would not eat any food while the sun was up.
It was a risky and bold move for children. Their parents and friends worried about them. But the girls stayed strong. They wanted the Governor to see their commitment. They wanted him to know they would not go away. The media picked up the story. Suddenly the whole island talked about the two girls who refused to eat.
The pressure worked. The Governor of Bali, I Made Mangku Pastika, finally agreed to meet them. He saw the 100,000 signatures. He saw the determination in their eyes. He promised the sisters that he would help. He signed a promise to make Bali plastic-free.
Cleaning Up the Island
The sisters kept pushing until the promise became real law. In 2018 the ban on single-use plastic bags officially started in Bali. It was a historic win. Two schoolgirls defeated the plastic industry.
They also organised a massive event to clean up the mess that already existed. In 2018 they rallied 20,000 people to come to the beaches. This army of volunteers collected 65 tons of waste. The movement exploded in popularity. Bye Bye Plastic Bags grew to 60 locations around the world. Young people in other countries started their own teams to fight plastic pollution.
A Global Sensation
The world celebrated the sisters. Time magazine named them among the Most Influential Teens of 2018. They travelled to New York City to speak at the United Nations. Melati even flew to Davos to speak at the World Economic Forum in 2020.
Their work also appeared on the big screen. A French director released a documentary called Bigger Than Us in 2021. The film follows Melati as she meets other young activists. Famous actress Marion Cotillard produced the movie. It showed the world that young people hold real power.
Melati continues her work today with a new group called Youthtopia. This organisation teaches young people the skills they need to become changemakers. Isabel also continues to inspire others. She tells kids to ignore their age and just start. These sisters proved that you do not need a suit or a tie to change the world. You just need the courage to stand up and speak.
