Green Boy by Patrick

This week, two videos from Madagascar show us how children make do with their situation and rise above it using ingenuity, creativity and a bit of daring. First is Toky, who makes tin cars out of waste materials, and the other is the Green Boy, a kid who makes a living in the streets not by begging, but by showing off his acrobatic skills.

Koloina who writes at Gasykool's Weblog tells Toky's story:

Raha i Toky manokana no resahina dia Tovola kely mahafinaritra izy ary azo lazaina hoe anisan'ireo ankisy lahy tia karokaroka sy matsilo saina izy.Zazalahy kely tsy mba azonao ambakainy izy ary tsy azonao resen-dahatra raha tsy mazava aminy izay tianao atao miaraka aminy, fa raha tsy izay dia tsy ho azonao mihitsy izy. Rehefa miaraka aminy dia tsimaintsy mazava ny fepetra satry ny azy rehefa izay dia izay tsy miova amininy raha mbola azo atao (ohatra hoe ndao hiaraka hiantsena dia ividianako mofo ialahy avy eo ) tsy vita mora izany fa rehefa noekena dia atao fa raha tsy izany dia mety tsy ho hahazo azy intsony ianao amin'ny manaraka. Ny fialambolin'i Toky ankotran'ny manamboatra ireny kilalao fiara kapoka ireny dia manao sary mijery, dessin animé ary milalao bisikileta .Itantsika fa tsy voatery mividy eny antsena na mahazo avy any amin'I mamany na ny dadany na ny manodidinazy i toky vao manana kilalalao ho lalaovina. Araka ny efa voalaza etsy ambony hoe manamboatra kilalao izy, tsy mba midongy aminao izany izy na andeha hiady amin'ny namany. Efa nahavita be dia be izy ary maro karazany mihintsy fa araka ny fantatsika fa mila miovaova ny zavatra avoka sy ny kilalao dia lasa pièce détaché no niafaran'ny fiara sasany. Na dia efa vitsy aza ny ankizy manao izany dia ho an'ny toky dia anisan'ny fahafinaretana ny manao izany ary sady faly be ery izy satria nahavita kilalao ho lalovina.

Koloina made a video of Toky's artistic process, documenting how the 11 year old child uses cans, mails, discarded wood and even broken slippers to make his creations:

It is Patrick, who blogs as layshiyuu, who brings us the story of the Green Boy, and tells us how instead of begging, this young man shows off his flexibility and strength, entertaining crowds in exchange for money:

Green boy is still very young for working because, he is only 14 years old. But you know he has a dream like all the children. He want to make a very big show on the stage one day but as he said he hasn’t any hope to intend his endeavor because he is poor and indeed hasn’t any access to go to school.

Both Koloina and Patrick are part of Foko Madagascar's Blog Club, which won the Rising Voices Micro-grant to teach youth how to use citizen media tools such as blogs, video and images to show others that Madagascar is more than jungle and lemurs. You can view Another one of the beneficiaries of this program is Theo, who made the following video interview with a South African Pastor, who had a message that touched Theo about thankfulness, and how important it is to show appreciation for the gifts one receives: