In 1996, Indonesia's 'crazy' tree planter who was mocked for his mission planted 11,000 trees and turned barren hills into a green paradise

• When traversing the hills of Wonogiri in Central Java, today’s visitors might take the dense areas of greenery in stride.
• The springs nourish nearby villages, the farms have sufficient water for numerous harvests, and the slopes covered with trees conceal the bare ground that used to be visible before.
• However, very few would think of the fact that many changes took place thanks to the commitment of one man who dedicated many years to tree-planting efforts despite the lack of encouragement from the people around him.