Every two weeks we feature four to five posts by Rising Voices participants as a way of showcasing some of the finest content from new voices that are typically ignored by both traditional and new media.

In order to make new voices heard, however, we must be willing to hear them. Please take twenty minutes out of your day to read their posts, and to offer comments of encouragement.

Thanks to Romina Oliverio from Argentina/Canada/Peru, Nihan Zafar from the Maldives, Victor Kaonga from Malawi/Sweden, Rebekah Heacock from Kansas/Uganda, Hamid Tehrani from Iran, Mohamed Nanabhay from South Africa/Qatar, Nicholas Laughlin from Trinidad and Tobago, Juliana from Colombia, Lova from USA/Madagascar, and Joan from USA/Madagascar for all their supportive comments on the blog posts featured two weeks ago. (Given the readership of this blog, shouldn’t there be a few more Americans on that list?)

Reality at the University by Catalina Restrepo

Catalina Restrepo, who will represent the HiperBarrio project at the Global Voices Summit in Budapest in June, studies Social Work at the University of Antioquia. She was in class earlier this month when she and her fellow classmates heard a series of explosions on campus. Juliana Rincon’s translation of Catalina’s post explain what happens.

Peddlers by Lomelle

Very few of us will ever visit Majunga, a port town on the northwest of Madagascar (not to mention capital of the 18th century kingdom of Boina). But thanks to the descriptions of FOKO bloggers like Lomelle, we can get a much better feel of what it is like to be a local there. This post, translated by Simp, describes Majunga’s many mobile peddlers who walk around town in the blistering heat selling fish, milk, glass, coffee, and more.

Day 12: Street food survey by Urbi Bhaduri

Once again the Neighbourhood Diaries project in Calcutta, India has proven itself one of the most innovative of all Rising Voices projects in terms of group activities. This past week each of the young citizen journalists were given ten rupees to spend however they would like on food items around the neighborhood. Ten rupees, it should be noted, is less than a quarter dollar in the United States, but even a quarter goes a long way in Bow Bazaar. Urbi’s post on the Neighbourhood Diaries project blog explains how the young citizen journalists will become food reviewers for the week.

Footpath Stories by Tania and Jyotsna

Now that we know more about the Neighbourhood Diaries project itself, let’s get to know two of its participants. Tania introduces us to Debi Shau, a vegetable-seller from Koley Market who now, without family to depend on, calls an open footpath her home. Jyotsna, meanwhile, introduces us to Bhabani another resident of a footpath in Bowbazaar who lives there with both her mother and son. Jyotsna and Tania describe the living conditions along Bowbazaar’s footpaths, reminding us of the forgotten citizens of the global village.

Thanks for all of your support.