Jamkhed Photovoice: Our Voices, Our Futures

Vital Stats

Virginia H

Elon College, NC

people helped122
People Doing It 55

The Problem

Girls and women worldwide are victims of gender-based discrimination. Overall, they have less access than men to education, jobs, political positions, agency within the home, and other resources needed to benefit themselves, their families and their wider communities. Adolescent girls are at a particularly vulnerable and impressionable point in their development. They often suffer from low self-esteem, and in many developing countries are at risk of malnutrition or child marriage due to issues of gender discrimination and inequality. Despite the challenges they face, adolescent girls also have great potential to act as positive change agents in their communities. Programs that focus on the empowerment of adolescent girls are quickly becoming one of the most well-supported initiatives in development work. The theory is that empowered young girls will contribute not only to their own well-being by pursuing education and denouncing child marriage (among other initiatives), but will contribute to the well-being of their families as well, by contributing economically and ending discrimination against daughters. Photovoice is a research methodology that aims to create an atmosphere of empowerment by giving cameras to participants of under-served groups, and allowing them to tell their stories through photography. Case after case of the implementation of Photovoice has rendered increased confidence of participants in their own knowledge and abilities as well as their potential to act as change agents within their communities. This Photovoice project, an extension of a similar project conducted in the summer of '11 with adolescent girls in Burlington, NC, will encourage adolescent girls from a tribal community in Jamhked, India to explore their sense of self and dreams for the future through photography. Many of these girls are malnourished, forced to stay home from school, and scheduled to be married at a young age. The goal of this project is that any sense of empowerment achieved through Photovoice will enable girls to combat gender discrimination and violence by using their many assets and skills to raise their socioeconomic status, say no to child marriage, and attain higher levels of education for themselves and their future children.

Plan of Action

This Photovoice project will stem from the experience and knowledge that I gained in the previous Photovoice project that I conducted with 22 participants of the DreamGirls program in Burlington, NC. Though the two populations are vastly different, both groups of girls come from low-income families and suffer issues of self-esteem and discrimination. The DreamGirls examined positive and negative aspects of their lives and communities, and made a slideshow to share what they found with the world. They mentioned having been positively changed by the experience, one saying, "I feel like I did something that will make the world change, that will make the world the better place." They also recognized the call to action and the potential their photos have to impact the world, "Maybe the whole world or people who do bad stuff will see the slideshow, and it will make them feel different about themselves and make them want to change." The DreamGirls have showed their slideshow to parents and friends, and to community members at Concerned Citizens meetings. They want to share their photos and reflections with the girls in India and to see their photos in return. Their slideshow has already received over 120 hits on Youtube. For the Jamkhed Photovoice project, I will partner with another university student who has expereince conducting Photovoice internationally, as well as the directors of the Comprehensive Rural Health Project (the NGO working toward women's empowerment and health in Jamkhed) to develop a culturally-appropriate curriculum and successfully implement the project. Our main need at this point is funding to buy about 30 disposable cameras and to cover printing and material costs. The project will be considered successful if the girls feel a sense of accomplishment in their work, the wider community is educated or made aware in some way and the girls in India and Burlington learn more about each other.