Avik Maitra, a recent Masters in Architecture graduate from Colombia University has started making toys from recycled materials for children in Lilongwe, Malawi.

Last week, I talked with a specialist in early childhood development. She said that in the villages, boys make their own cars such as these, while girls pretend that corn cobs and bottles are dolls. Unfortunately, the cobs don't last very long, and the bottles can be sold to recyclers, making them too valuable to be used as toys. (To me, these improvised dolls are much more heartbreaking than the cars, which are simple but also kind of cool. Maybe that's just a personal bias, and I have yet to see the dolls, since they're mostly kept indoors.) Children will also sometimes use scrap bricks as building blocks.

Avik is documenting his 8 month research fellowship in Malawi on his blog where he's researching the architectural needs of local orphanages, experimenting with natural methods and design ideas for preventing malaria and developing a girls academy.

Avik has placed an open call to businesses and factories in Malawi and nearby to donate industrial leftovers for the development of architectural projects and toys.

via inhabitots