{"id":4017,"date":"2016-07-24T13:49:26","date_gmt":"2016-07-24T12:49:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/?p=4017"},"modified":"2025-10-16T14:13:42","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T13:13:42","slug":"children-of-the-street-anjezika","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/?p=4017","title":{"rendered":"Children of the Street:  Anjezika"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a title=\"Boys\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/tazmpictures\/28405394372\/in\/dateposted-public\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28405394372_a809905fba_z.jpg?resize=640%2C425&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Boys\" width=\"640\" height=\"425\" \/><\/a><script src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/zanakynylalana\/\" target=\"_blank\">&#8220;Zanaky Ny Lalana&#8221;<\/a> is a group of street photographers that was brought together about a half year ago with the goal of highlighting the challenges faced by some\u00a0of Madagascar&#8217;s most vulnerable\u00a0inhabitants. \u00a0I don&#8217;t exactly have much in the way of street photography credentials, but we were fortunate in that the group&#8217;s founder has allowed us to join them anyway.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Fence\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/tazmpictures\/28227097650\/in\/dateposted-public\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28227097650_c13a926984_z.jpg?resize=640%2C425&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Fence\" width=\"640\" height=\"425\" \/><\/a><script src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>One of the group&#8217;s current projects is to support <a href=\"http:\/\/teach4madagascar.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Teach for Madagascar<\/a>, another group of volunteers, which provides in-community schooling to young children in ten different locations throughout Antananarivo. \u00a0The teaching is done by volunteers &#8211; mostly, but not only, university students &#8211; who had to compete to be selected for the opportunity, and received instruction and supplies to help them administer the program. \u00a0Over six months, the kids learn reading, but also life skills and other subjects, which will give them a chance to improve their futures. \u00a0For most of the children, this program offers the only schooling they will receive.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Attentive\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/tazmpictures\/28227105790\/in\/dateposted-public\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28227105790_c88247093b_z.jpg?resize=425%2C640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Attentive\" width=\"425\" height=\"640\" \/><\/a><script src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Where possible, the classes are taught in a building provided by the local community &#8211; but in many of the sites, the instruction happens in the open air. \u00a0The role of the street photographers &#8211; many of whom are known throughout Madagascar and beyond &#8211; is to document the activities at the different locations and assist Teach for Madagascar in bringing attention to the issue so they can assist even more kids. \u00a0The founder of the group told me the project is near to his heart because he too had been a &#8220;child of the street&#8221; &#8211; and it was only through the sacrifices made by his parents to ensure he had a good education that he was able to escape the cycle of poverty.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Pond Panoramic\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/tazmpictures\/28227107790\/in\/dateposted-public\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28227107790_02b508f266_z.jpg?resize=640%2C180&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Pond Panoramic\" width=\"640\" height=\"180\" \/><\/a><script src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>For our first photo shoot in support of the project, our host took us to the neighborhood of Anjezika. It&#8217;s hard to describe this community. We were told that it was once a community of subsistence farmers with rice fields and other crops, and that as the city grew up around them they were gradually closed in, the rice fields are gone, and life has gotten difficult. The community is in a low part of the city, and much of it evokes Venice &#8211; not for its scenery, but for the fact that its inhabitants live just a few inches above the water table. Precarious wooden walkways crisscross back and forth and lean in places where some of the supports threaten to give way.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Walkway\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/tazmpictures\/27894089274\/in\/dateposted-public\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/27894089274_465ec0df47_z.jpg?resize=425%2C640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Walkway\" width=\"425\" height=\"640\" \/><\/a><script src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>And this is the dry season. \u00a0We were told that during the rainy season, the area&#8217;s inhabitants spend virtually all their time moving through waist-deep water to get around. \u00a0Surely we foreigners were a strange sight to see walking through their neighborhood, but when we flashed a smile and a &#8220;manahaona&#8221; we received nothing but smiles in return as people went about their daily business.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Harvest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/tazmpictures\/28478588716\/in\/dateposted-public\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28478588716_6baed0f0ef_z.jpg?resize=425%2C640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Harvest\" width=\"425\" height=\"640\" \/><\/a><script src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Much of that &#8220;daily business&#8221; was all about putting food on the table. Teens used long sticks to push the water lilies that grow everywhere there is any standing water in Antananarivo into clumps where it could be fished out, bundled up and transported by cart to a place where it could be sold for pennies as cattle feed. Others were standing knee-deep in the water with large buckets, throwing the water over a short mud wall that separated two areas of water. We were told they were fishing, which only led to more questions. Fishing??<\/p>\n<p>So the way it apparently works is, enough water from one area (about half an acre) gets transferred to the other area so that the fish can be easily collected. We saw some kids with such fish later on &#8211; 5-6 inches long.<\/p>\n<p> https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=J0Joy8hJOyE<\/p>\n<p>Another thing people can do for money is laundry &#8211; we were told some of the women do laundry for about 2000 ariary (65 US cents) a day.<\/p>\n<p>Everything centers around the water. Which is used for absolutely everything.<\/p>\n<p>So the &#8220;Teach for Madagascar&#8221; program provides a little hope for some of these kids. In Anjezika, a small building is made available by the community, and a handful of volunteers come in twice a week for 3 hours each with their bag of supplies. The children are waiting when they arrive, and they quietly filter in, those who have shoes take them off, and they sit on the tarp and wait for their lesson to begin.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Shoes\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/tazmpictures\/28227106800\/in\/album-72157671385257666\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28227106800_795abb7a51_z.jpg?resize=640%2C425&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Shoes\" width=\"640\" height=\"425\" \/><\/a><script src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>I was amazed at how quickly they progressed and how well they behaved. Apparently last time they had covered basic vowel sounds. These were reviewed today, and they practiced writing them, sometimes with help of the volunteers, and eventually progressed to combinations of letters &#8211; la, na, ni&#8230;in six months when the program ends and the next group begins, these kids will be reading.<\/p>\n<p> https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=MqZ8WytEfao&#8221; width=&#8221;480&#8243; height=&#8221;360&#8243; frameborder=&#8221;0&#8243; allowfullscreen=&#8221;allowfullscreen&#8221;><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Studious\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/tazmpictures\/28227092010\/in\/album-72157671385257666\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28227092010_537a256730_z.jpg?resize=640%2C425&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Studious\" width=\"640\" height=\"425\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"The Answer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/tazmpictures\/28405379172\/in\/album-72157671385257666\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28405379172_476f5d03c8_z.jpg?resize=425%2C640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"The Answer\" width=\"425\" height=\"640\" \/><\/a><script src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Instruction\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/tazmpictures\/28405392332\/in\/album-72157671385257666\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28405392332_432f2fa909_z.jpg?resize=640%2C425&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Instruction\" width=\"640\" height=\"425\" \/><\/a><script src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Concentration\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/tazmpictures\/28405376042\/in\/album-72157671385257666\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28405376042_f33e4c90b9_z.jpg?resize=425%2C640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Concentration\" width=\"425\" height=\"640\" \/><\/a><script src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Mentor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/tazmpictures\/28227104890\/in\/album-72157671385257666\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28227104890_135216fe3e_z.jpg?resize=425%2C640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Mentor\" width=\"425\" height=\"640\" \/><\/a><script src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Behind Bars\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/tazmpictures\/28405381122\/in\/album-72157671385257666\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28405381122_7e3afdca84_z.jpg?resize=431%2C640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Behind Bars\" width=\"431\" height=\"640\" \/><\/a><script src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>At the end of class, each student was given a notebook with prepared homework lessons &#8211; which some of them immediately started working on &#8211; and they went outside in groups of two and three to get a detailed class on proper hand washing.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Hand Washing\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/tazmpictures\/28227103860\/in\/album-72157671385257666\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28227103860_9f09675916_z.jpg?resize=425%2C640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Hand Washing\" width=\"425\" height=\"640\" \/><\/a><script src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>After the session was over, we walked a bit through the neighborhood. Life is hard here, but people were universally friendly to us outsiders. \u00a0 Apparently Madagascar is not just about lemurs and orchids&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Boy\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/tazmpictures\/28227090040\/in\/album-72157671385257666\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28227090040_15b2bb1ae3_z.jpg?resize=640%2C425&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Boy\" width=\"640\" height=\"425\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We stopped in to chat with a few of the local residents. \u00a0Our host from Zanaky Ny Lalana is doing research on the community to better understand their needs &#8211; and we were invited in to a few homes. \u00a0These kids were excited about being photographed, but disappointed when I took a photo with an old analog camera because I couldn&#8217;t show them the photo on the screen (I was just disappointed with the photo!)<\/p>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Children\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/tazmpictures\/28227088250\/in\/album-72157671385257666\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28227088250_485c6e1357_z.jpg?resize=640%2C425&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Children\" width=\"640\" height=\"425\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/img103.jpg?ssl=1\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-4020\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-4020\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/img103.jpg?resize=600%2C455&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"img103\" width=\"600\" height=\"455\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/img103.jpg?resize=600%2C455&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/img103.jpg?resize=300%2C227&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/img103.jpg?resize=768%2C582&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/img103.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/img103.jpg?w=3000&amp;ssl=1 3000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>But through a translator I was able to explain to them the inner workings of the 50-year-old Chinese camera. \u00a0I wonder what they thought as I showed them the film roll&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Child\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/tazmpictures\/28478577176\/in\/album-72157671385257666\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28478577176_a29d938673_z.jpg?resize=425%2C640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Child\" width=\"425\" height=\"640\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We stopped to visit with this 76-year-old grandmother who grew up and raised 10 kids in Anjezika.<\/p>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Visitor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/tazmpictures\/28405372122\/in\/album-72157671385257666\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28405372122_f788bdb78f_z.jpg?resize=640%2C425&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Visitor\" width=\"640\" height=\"425\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This is the first in a series. \u00a0The street photographers, Anne and I contribute our best shots to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/zanakynylalana\/photos\/?tab=album&amp;album_id=1750802518524943\" target=\"_blank\">Zanaky Ny Lalana facebook page.<\/a>\u00a0 More photos I have taken are available in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/tazmpictures\/albums\/72157671385257666\" target=\"_blank\">this Flickr album.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Zanaky Ny Lalana&#8221; is a group of street photographers that was brought together about a half year ago with the goal of highlighting the challenges faced by some\u00a0of Madagascar&#8217;s most vulnerable\u00a0inhabitants. \u00a0I don&#8217;t exactly have much in the way of street photography credentials, but we were fortunate in that the group&#8217;s founder has allowed us [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[641,1857],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-madagascar","category-zanaky-ny-lalana"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4017","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4017"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4017\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6501,"href":"https:\/\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4017\/revisions\/6501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4017"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tazmpictures.com\/site\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}