Blaogin'i (foko) Blog Club

posted by Rezwan on Jun 14, 2008

“We cannot live for ourselves alone. Our lives are connected by a thousand invisible threads, and along these sympathetic fibers, our actions run as causes and return to us as results.” - Herman Melville, American writer

The attitude to help others is innate in our lives even if we sometimes do not prioritize it. The sympathetic actions we take have to be meaningful and powerful to make changes happen and visible. Most of the times when a bigger threat like natural calamity happens we find the spirit and engage in collective actions to help the helpless. But should we have to wait for such a blow before we convert the spirit into action in our daily lives?

Think about any problem in your society. How much effort does it take to solve it? What are the resource requirements and how do we obtain them?

Only some years ago we needed to wait for a mainstream media to advocate for social initiatives to help others. Now social media is empowering ordinary people to do that for themselves.

When you look at each of the Rising Voices projects, you will agree that it is an interesting experience to watch a new blogger start out, develop a voice, and emerge as a force. It is like tentatively getting out of a cocoon of blocked thoughts, unblocking their self-consciousness, overcoming frustrations and limitations, and then blasting like a rocket with individual charisma and aura. And they are setting examples of engaging themselves in social causes.

Diana Chamia is a 18 year old blogger from the School of Journalism in Mahajanga, Madagascar who received citizen media training from FOKO Blog Club. She has proved to be more than just a skilled writer, she has done something remarkable.

She spotted a child named Kamba with an abnormal growth in the forehead and decided to help Kamba’s family to provide better medical care for him. She appealed to the blogosphere in her blog post “help Me help them“:

The FOKO blogging community responded to her post and pledged a global call for solidarity to help the child and the family.

Th initial financial support to take the child to capital Antananarivo for a better diagnostic required $500 and FOKO Madagascar was in charge of the fundraising on the Internet. In a very short time, a wonderful Malagasy family living in Canada contacted Diana and took care of everything.

FOKO then spontaneously took the role of coordinator between the parties involved (surgeons, donors, worried mothers wanting to give clothing and food) and started publishing daily updates on the developments. Diana assisted the family on their trip to the capital for the operation and even offered to stay with the child during the month long hospitalization.

Diana writes that Kamba is now doing fine. Please keep an eye on this blog for more updates.

This is a wonderful example of the power of one making a change in the society.

Similarly we see such actions in another project Hiper-Barrio where:

“In San Javier La Loma, a hillside working class community on the outskirts of Medellín, one of the most well-known local celebrities, ‘Filthy Suso’, had, until recently, also been one of the most enigmatic. Thanks to the work of HiperBarrio, a citizen journalism outreach project of Rising Voices, the story of ‘Filthy Suso’ is now known both locally and internationally. Led by Yuliana Isabel Paniagua Cano, Catalina Restrepo Martínez, and Gabriel Jaime Venegas, the collective of new citizen journalists created both a video and article about ‘Filthy Suso’, La Loma’s local collector of recyclables. It is worth noting that HiperBarrio’s article on Suso was also published on the front page of the weekly local newspaper, Conexion.”

Both the examples show the empowerment of a new level of social consciousness and imagination among the youth by the citizen media. It is being achieved through sharing of conversation and expression of strong will to make a change which is devoid of self-preoccupation and self-interest.

Iray maka bahana …

Nifanentana sy nandray anjara tsy hampijaly, ary hanandratra ny teny Malagasy ny mpitoraka blaogy sy ny mponin'ny aterineto nanomboka tamin'ny antson'i Lapino

Roa fiomanana …

Tapaka fa asiana lanonana famaranana ity hetsika ity ary amin'ny faha-21 Jiona no hanatanterahana izany, amin'ny 3 tolakandro, ora any Madagasikara.

Telo dia lasa …

Tongava daholo ary amin'ny 21 Jiona 2008 amin'ny 3 tolakandro (Ora any Madagasikara).

- Mandahara hira ao amin'ny radio Vazogasy.

- Dia mandehana ao amin'ny http://tetikasa.telomiova.org/cyberfety na http://club.foko-madagascar.org/

- Dia miresaha dia milalaova … dia milalaova dia miresaha.

[16 participants le Samedi 24 Mai 2006 au chatroom pendant la Cérémonie des prix du FBC !]

Miangaly-calgary  f'ahoana ary izy zany, mandeha ve ny resaka ato?

tintine aon lé manoratr @ blog oln az atoao mateztr reto zan fa fiainana dol zan rht zan sa aon oz nareo?

pissoa-joburg matory alina i miangaly izany sa matory atoandro ?

hjk mandalondalo manao mbola tsara fotsiny fa tsy afaka mijanona ela.trees are growing :)

jogany-ottawa donc any zzareo mandray cadeau be dia be dia mandefa video sy manao chat live

Ikalamako - italiafrika zay ve dia mbola tsy nahavita ilay lalankely etsy antshavola kle

ikalakely nisy ni sam ny prix ngamba!

mpandalo hivadika resa-behivavy izy zany

lova aza kivy hoy ilay hira

laza tara zah vô tonga le

Avec un coordinateur en route pour Majunga et des bloggers trop occupés à blogguer, nous laissons la parole à Avylavitra pour nous conter la cérémonie des gagnants du Best of FBC du 24 Mai 2008. Cette semaine aura lieu celle de Majunga et la semaine prochaine de Toamasina. Si vous n’êtes pas encore au courant des lauréats et des géniaux bloggers du FBC, allez-y courrez vite !

With one coordinator on his way to Majunga and all the bloggers busy blogging, Avylavitra took the time to publish his report on FBC Awards Ceremony which tool place at Urban Café in Antananarivo last Saturday May 24th. This week Stéphane will be hosting Majunga ceremony and next week we’ll hear from Toamasina. If you haven’t heard about the contest already or don’t know about FBC (Foko Blog Club) yet, go check our posts!

Nous nous sommes bien amusés lors de la cérémonie de remis des prix du Foko Blog Club de samedi soir à URBAN Café à Ampasanisadoda. Les personnes présentes étaient nombreuses, il y avait : Glou (Président de Namana Serasera madagascar), Tosoa (blogger à elsifaka), RnStephy (jeune membre Foko venant des Namana Serasera), Pati (Foko Club pour l’ONU), Tantely (Foko), Stéphane (Foko), Sipagasy ( Namana Serasera Diaspora), Ravatorano (un grand des Namana Serasera), Nombana (Foko Club pour l’ONU) et un journaliste des Nouvelles.
Nous remercions aussi les amis qui n’ont pas pu venir mais qui ont été présents en pensée tels que Jogany, Mialy, Lova, Harinjaka et je m’excuse si j’en ai oublié, et les amis Namanas Serasera Dago. Et j’encourage tout le monde à poursuivre ses activités de blogging car il s’agit d’une opportunité pour laisser libre à la parole (car nous sommes nos propres censeurs!)

We enjoyed our time at the Foko award ceremony which took place this saturday at URBAN Café Ampasanisadoda. Many people were present : Glou (Namana Serasera Madagascar president), Tosoa (blogging at Elsifaka), RmStephy (young Namana Serasera blogging at Foko), Pati (from Club for UN at Foko), Tantely (Foko) , Stéphane (Foko), Sipagasy (Namana Serasera Diaspora), Ravatorano (a big name at Namana Serasera), Nombana (Foko Club for UN) and a journalist from Les Nouvelles. We also want to thank our friends who were present in thoughts Jogany, Mialy, Lova, Harinjaka, the Namana Serasera community and the many others I haven’t mentioned but not forgotten. I also want everybody to keep blogging and develop their Citizen journalist skills to promote freedom of speech (not only because we’re our only censors!)

• Fandraisana
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• Fahatongavany Ekipa Rising Voices Any Madagasikara
• Foko Blog Club 12 : Welcom I.C.E.!
• L'Interdépendance Day 2008 a Bruxelles(récit par Sipagasy)
• Les Bloggers de Foko contribuent au Madagascar English Journal
• Ahona izy izay Monsieur Stéphane ?

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