AFP Photo ? Raul Arboleda - Legless Venezuelan rapper, surfer, overcoming odds in Colombia - . . Venezuelan migrant Alfonso Mendoza was born without legs. Abandoned by his parents, he flirted with suicide. But everything about him shouts: "Believe in Yourself!" -- ask anyone who attends his motivational classes. Lithe and muscular, Alca -- as he prefers to be known -- hoists himself into buses. With a boom box and microphone, the charming, good-looking 25-year-old perches on a railing and belts out rap songs. Severely disabled since birth, Mendoza added another level of hardship to his life this year when he joined the legion of Venezuelan migrants spilling over the border from Colombia's poverty-wracked neighbor. In Barranquilla, a new challenge awaits: bringing up baby Auralys, their little girl born just last month. After working selling raffle tickets and handicrafts, Alca found he could make more money rapping on the public transport system. "I am not embarrassed to be singing on a bus. I would be embarrassed if I arrived at home one day and my wife tells me there are no diapers or clothes for my daughter. I believe my life has changed a lot now regarding responsibilities." When he can, Alca hits the beach, where he has parlayed his skill on the skateboard into surfing. His own personal breakthroughs and positivity have opened the way for motivational speaking. Dressed in a freshly-pressed shirt, he gives a motivational class to children and teachers at a private school. Propped on a table, microphone in hand, he tells them: "You have to have a positive attitude."A power-point projection behind him says: "Believe in Yourself!" "God didn't give me legs, but he replaced them with talents," he tells his audience. #photojournalism #surf #skate #barranquilla

afpphotoさん(@afpphoto)が投稿した動画 - 2018/10/06 20:22:22