One of the Stories I Want My Son to Hear About Madagascar: Lessons From the FIRST Global Challenge
As a Malagasy mom raising my son in Germany, I'm always looking for the stories that will give him pride in both his roots. This week, I found one at a robotics competition in South Korea.
My little boy builds Lego robots on our living-room floor. He has no idea there is such a thing as a Robot Olympics. But I was awake early this week, reading the results from Incheon.
The FIRST Global Challenge brings together one national team of teenagers from almost every country in the world. This year, 185 teams built robots to prevent, contain and recover from wildfires.
I followed two teams in particular. Madagascar, where I was born and where my roots are. And Germany, where my family and I live today. My little boy carries both countries, so this week both teams felt a little bit like mine.
The team that learned from old radios
Team Madagascar came from all over the island, from Diego to Tulear. Many of them never had the chance to join a robotics club. So they learned by taking apart old radios, televisions and computers at home.
Their reason for competing was close to home: bush fires, one of the biggest threats to the island's forests and wildlife.
The road was not easy. They had five months to learn robotics and prepare, and they paused school for more than a month to focus. In earlier years, Malagasy teams faced missing funding, power cuts and even lost plane tickets, and still came.
By the numbers
185 national teams ranked
57th: Madagascar's final rank, in the top third
438 points: Madagascar's best single match
5 months to learn robotics and prepare
32 teams reached the playoffs; Madagascar was not among them
Where Madagascar shines
Madagascar did not reach the playoffs this year. Not to compare, but because sometimes we need to see it: here is how our team did against the countries many of us now live in.
Country | Rank (of 185) | Best match (points) |
Madagascar | 57 | 438 |
France | 65 | 386 |
Germany | 177 | 183 |
Great Britain | 173 | 128 |
Italy | 83 | 254 |
Luxembourg | 81 | 274 |
USA | 100 | 399 |
Madagascar also finished ahead of its Indian Ocean neighbours: Seychelles (69th), Mauritius (118th) and Comoros (169th).
One year is never the whole story. Teams play in changing alliances, so luck plays a part. Germany won bronze in the competition's top award in 2022, and its strengths in structure, schools and clubs are real. I see them every day.
But Madagascar's pattern is hard to ignore: bronze in 2023, gold in 2024, gold for courageous achievement in 2025, and now a top-third finish.
It's not really about robots
In their closing message, the team wrote that they gave everything they could and blame no one. They also named the gap honestly. Many teams that finished behind them have studied robotics at school for years. They had five months.
Psychologist Angela Duckworth calls this grit: passion and perseverance for long-term goals. Germany's team describes its own version: when things go wrong, they laugh, fix it and keep going. Two styles, one lesson.
What they gave
Living far away, I often hear about what Madagascar lacks. This week, I saw what it gives: courage, patience, and young people who refuse to feel smaller than anyone.
My son will hear many stories about Madagascar. I want this to be one of them.
The team closed its message with: "Sahinay ny milaza fa mahay sy manana ny anjara toerany eo amin'ny sehatra robotique ny tanora Malagasy." We dare to say it: young Malagasy people are capable, and they have their place in robotics.
One day, my little boy might care about medals. For now, he builds, breaks, laughs and tries again. Maybe that is all the teams in Incheon were really doing too.
Misaotra betsaka, Team Madagascar. Nampirehareha anay ianareo.
Thank you so much, Team Madagascar. You made us proud.
Before you go
If this story spoke to you, stay a little longer. Read more stories from our life between Madagascar and Germany on the blog, or discover our Malagasy books and games for little ones, from 6 months to 6 years and up. They were made for the same reason as this article: so our children grow up proud of where they come from.
For everyday moments, little Malagasy words and new stories, come and say hello on Instagram or Facebook.
Which stories about your home country do you want your children to hear? Tell me in the comments below.
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