Indonesia : The two-year-old boy who became an international sensation after he was found chain smoking in a remote village has kicked the habit, lost weight and is now the ‘champion’ of his primary school.
Aldi Rizal shot to fame in 2010 after he was discovered in a poor village in Sumatra, Indonesia, puffing 40 cigarettes a day while riding his tricycle.
Two years on he’s now a normal, cheeky five-year-old – and, while he’s managed to kick the habit, he now has another addiction. Food.
Aldi Rizal became an international media sensation when he was discovered in a poor village in Sumatra, Indonesia, puffing on a cigarette while riding his tricycle.
Just two years later the little boy managed to quit with the help of the Indonesian government providing special rehabilitation, but he replaced his smoking addiction with food and drastically gained weight.
The outcry led to the Indonesian government launching a campaign to tackle the problem of children smoking and organising special rehabilitation treatment to help Aldi quit.
Aldi was taken for play therapy sessions in the capital Jakarta for two weeks to take his mind off his 40-a-day habit and learn to be a normal toddler for the first time.
A new documentary series revisits the family two years on to find out how Aldi is getting on and reveals he has managed to stay off the cigarettes, but is still dangerously unhealthy.
During his rehabilitation treatment, Aldi saw psychiatrists who encouraged his mother to keep him busy with playing and taught her about the dangers of smoking.
Doctors hope that if Aldi can lose around half a stone to a stone, his weight will eventually even out as he starts to grow taller.
It is thought one-third of children in Indonesia try smoking before the age of ten. The Government has launched efforts to tackle the problem.
