Harinesy Tsiry Rakotoarinosy

They say smiling is contagious, this is very true especially on meeting Harinesy Tsiry Rakotoarinosy, he is ever smiling and you cannot resist to smile back. The forenames Tsiry and Harinesy mean beginning new life and created respectively, while his surname means born on an island, which is Madagascar. 

Born on 1 June 1996, Tsiry, as I call him, is a highly motivated young man whose dream is to change the face of Madagascar. When I asked him about what his dream in life was, he responded saying that he wishes he is strong and granted with long life so he can make immense contribution to the development of his country. In addition, he wants to be an influential leader and influence the local Malagasy people and transform their lives by changing their bad habits that make the country poor. In other words, Tsiry wants to live up to his name, having been born on the island of Madagascar, he wants to contribute to the renaissance of Madagascar.

Currently, Tsiry is studying towards a Bachelor’s degree in History and Geography. His intention is to learn and also give others knowledge. The reasoning behind studying history was that he wants to know what happened in the past and then find new ways or improve to what was done back then to ensure a better future. In studying geography, he wants to know what kind of resources Madagascar has and its potential to prosper, human activities and how they affect and are affected by these resources, the distribution of populations, land use, and industries. Tsiry is a much focused young man who knows what he wants and knows what it takes achieve his dream, hence, he is working hard to achieve that.

Tsiry joined the YMCA in October 2012 when there was a marathon in Antananarivo. He said he had been at the marathon as a scout and was asked by a YMCA member to help in taking water to the runners. After that he was then invited to attend S2C training and since then he has been a strong member. He is now the leader of the Environmental club of the YMCA. He has come up with an initiative to sensitive local people on the benefits of recycling. As I mentioned earlier that he is a scout, their responsibilities include educating children to be Christians, empowering people to be responsible citizens at the church and the community as a whole. These go in hand in hand with the YMCA, making him a true ambassador of the organisation. 

He lives in Antananarivo with his parents, his brother and cousin. His hobbies include going on picnics and walks with friends. I was actually fortunate to go for a walk with him when we were still new in Madagascar. He was very knowledgeable, and it was like he was my tour guide. He also enjoys reading, this is evidenced by his vast knowledge of the current affairs around the world. He loves music that inspires him, paying particular attention to the lyrics. His favourite music band is Mahaleo which sings about the environment and the Malagasy social life. His favourite song is Tontolo Ianana; the song sensitizes people on how to take care of the environment. 

Despite still being a student, Tsiry has begun to make an impact in the community he comes from. He is very intelligent and knows what required for him to live the dream and he is working towards that.