photovoice - photo journals report (2018)photovoice is an innovative participatory action research...

Photovoice Research

Food and Eating Habits in the Cuncani Community

NexosComunitarios©2018

AbstractPhotovoiceisaninnovativeparticipatoryactionresearchmethodologywhereindividualsusephotographytoidentifyandaddresstheirsocialissuesintheircommunity.TheobjectiveofthisstudywastodocumentanduncovertherealityofthefoodenvironmentsandeatinghabitsofchildreninsmallisolatedcommunitiesofthePeruvianAndes.Datawascollectedfromeightstudentsinsixthgradeofthelocalschool.Theresultsshowedthatthemajorityofmealsconsistedofaccessiblelocalcropssuchaspotatoesandmeatfromsheep,suggestingalackofvarietyoffoodwithinthecommunity.Thestudyalsoportraystheimagesoffoodandthesurroundingenvironmenttogainadeeperinsightoftheirdailyconsumptioninthecommunityanditsrelationshiptothecurrenthealthconditionofthecommunity.ThisstudywasconductedandwrittenbyKenjiMisawaofNexosComunitariosNexosComunitarios2018Urubamba–CuscoElectronicVersion.Peru.

TableofContents

Abstract.............................................................................................................................1

Abbreviation......................................................................................................................1

Glossary.............................................................................................................................1

Acknowledgement.............................................................................................................2

NexosComunitarios...........................................................................................................3

Introduction......................................................................................................................4

Methodology.....................................................................................................................5Context......................................................................................................................................5Procedure..................................................................................................................................6

Result&Finding................................................................................................................8I) Enablepeopletodocumentandsharetheirlifecircumstancesandexperiences................9

Children’sEatingHabits................................................................................................................9Realityoffoodenvironmentinthecommunity..........................................................................10

II) Facilitatepublicdialogueandknowledgeofcommunities’socialissues...........................11LackofFoodVariety....................................................................................................................11LimitedFoodAccess....................................................................................................................14

Conclusion.......................................................................................................................15Lessonslearned..............................................................................¡Error!Marcadornodefinido.What’sNext?...........................................................................................................................16

Bibliography....................................................................................................................17


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AbbreviationsNCNexosComunitariosNGONon-profitGovernmentalOrganizationPARParticipatoryActionResearch

Glossary CommunityDevelopmentTheprocessofcommunitymemberscomingtogethertotakecollectiveactionandgeneratepositivesocialimpactforthecommunityortogeneratesolutionsforcommonproblems.DataInformationgainedthroughtheresearchprocess.InPhotovoice,datareferstoalltheavailableinformationextractedfromthephysicalphotosandwordsdescribingtheirphotos.PhotoJournalsHand-madepaperbookletscreatedbytheparticipantsofPhotovoicecontainingphotosoftheirdailyfood.Theobjectiveofthejournalistoillustratetheireatinghabitsthroughthecapturedphotos.HumanDevelopmentTheprocessofenlargingpeople’sfreedomsandopportunitiesandofimprovingtheirwell-being.FreePriorInformedConsentAstandardtoprotectindigenousrightstoself-determinationandrighttoparticipate.Agreementtodosomethingbasedonhavingalltheknowledgeandinformationofthepotentialrisksandbenefits.MarginalizedGroupGroupofindividualsthatareexcludedfromsocietyandhavelimitedaccesstoresourcesandparticipationtodecision-makingprocessesandsystems.ParticipatoryActionResearchAcollaborativeresearchmethod,whichentailsthecollective,selfinquiryeffortoftheparticipantstoidentifytheirexistingsocialissueswithascopetoincreasetheircontrolovertheirlivesandimproveoverallsocialcondition.Photovoice


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PARmethodthatinvolvesphotographyanddialogueasameansforthemarginalizedgroupofpeopletodeepentheirunderstandingoftheircommunityissuesandconcerns.

AcknowledgementThecreationofphotojournalsin2017isthenotableaccomplishmentofthePhotovoicemethodologyadoptedbyNC.Toreachthispoint,wehavegonethroughmanychallenges,wherewegainedvaluableexperienceandsufficientadaptationskills.Withoutourcontinuouscommitmentandeffortinthepast,thisPhotovoicereportwouldnothavebeenpossible.Therefore,NCwouldliketorecognizeallthemembersofourstaff,formerinterns,andvolunteerswhohavecontributedtothedevelopmentofPhotovoiceupuntilnow.AllthestudentparticipantsfromthelocalschoolofCuncaniearnedourdeepestappreciationfortheiractiveparticipationandengagementinPhotovoice.WewouldalsoliketogiveanimmensethankyoutoalltheparentsofparticipantsandthelocalschoolofCuncanifortheirsupportandunderstanding.ItisourhopetocontinuedevelopingPhotovoicemethodologyinaimstocollectivelyenhancethecommunity’ssocialconditionsinthefuture.


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NexosComunitarios1NexosComunitarios(NC)isaPeruviannon-profitcivilassociation,formedbyagroupofcitizensandprofessionalscommittedtoreducingpovertyinisolatedcommunitieswithinPeru.Inaddition,NCpromotesabetterunderstandingandtruerespectbetweendifferentsocietiesandcultures,nationallyandinternationally.Since2013,NChasbeenworkingwiththeAndeancommunity,Cuncani2,promotingcommunitydevelopmentfollowingNC’sdevelopmentmodelfocusedonhealth,educationandeconomicempowerment.RecognizingCuncani’shardships,oneofwhichismalnutrition,NChasbeenoverseeingandimplementingaseriesofprojectswithanaimtoimprovethenutritionofthechildrenresidents.Insufficientnutrientscanhinderthechildrenfromproperdevelopment,acquisitionofnewskillsand/oropportunitiesforfuturegrowth.

AsanextensiontoourhealthimprovementprojectssuchastheschoolLunchProgramandSustainableHomesProject,NChasadoptedthePhotovoiceapproachtosearchfornewknowledgeandinformationtosolvemalnutritioninthecommunity.ThePhotovoicetoolallowsustoobtainbetterunderstandingoftheirdailyfoodthroughtheeyesofchildren,whileempoweringtherightsofchildren’sfreedomofexpression.NChasbeenkeepsitscommitmenttocombatpovertyinthemarginalizedsocietieswithinthecountry.

1Visithttp://www.nexos.org.pe/.2Visithttps://vimeo.com/169644249


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IntroductionChildhealthconditionsaredirectlylinkedtotheirdietandfoodenvironment.Especially,inmarginalizedcommunitieslikeCuncani,wheremalnutritionhasbeenamajorproblem,gatheringdatawithregardstofoodiscrucial.Nonetheless,acquiringinformationsurroundingeatinghabitsisoftendifficult.Confrontingthischallenge,NChasappliedthePhotovoicemethodwiththeaimtogatherthiskeyinformationfromthehandsofchildren.ThisinnovativePARmethodhasappealedtochildren’sinterestandhassuccessfullyengagedtheparticipantstosharetheirperspectivesaboutfoodenvironmentandeatinghabits.EightstudentsingradesixfromthelocalCuncanischoolhaveparticipatedinthisPhotovoicemethod.Theresearchisdesignedforthestudentstocapturetheirdailyfoodwithacameraandtocreatetheirownuniquephotojournal.Withthoroughtrainingandworkshopsessions,participantshavecompletedtheirfoodjournalsandhaveexpressedtheirvoicethroughtheirphotos.Thispaperanalyzesdatafromtwoanglestofulfillitsobjectiveofinformationgathering.Itfirstassessesdatacollectedfromtheinterviewswithstudentsandfromthestoriesbehindtheircapturedphotos.Itprovidesfirsthandgenuineperspectivesoftheirfoodthroughtheeyesofchildren.Furthermore,thisstudyalsoprovidesaquantitativedataanalysisofallthephotostakenbytheparticipants.Ithelpstogainaclearerpictureoftheirfoodenvironmentinthecommunity.Integrateddataanalysisrevealedthemajorpatternsoffoodconsumptionatthehouseholdlevel.Themostcommonlyconsumedingredientswerepotatoes,riceandmeat.Itconcludedthatthecommunitylackedsufficientaccesstoawidervarietyoffood,especiallyfruitandvegetablesinthehouse.Ultimately,theresultallowedNCtodevelopanewlunchprogramtocombatmalnutrition.Overall,theobservationofthisresearchhasshownPhotovoiceasaneffectiveresearchmethodtogathervaluableinsightwithregardstotheirdailydiet.Atthesametime,itcanbeusedtohelpinformfutureresearchwithchildrentogainabetterunderstandingaboutthefoodenvironmentandeatinghabits.WeareenthusiasticaboutourPhotovoiceapproachinCuncani,andwanttoshareourdiscoveriestoinformandsparkinterestincommunity-basedresearchtoothersandopenthegatewayforthecommunitytorecognizethechallengeandtranslatethisintoaction.


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MethodologyPhotovoiceisaground-breakingapproachofParticipatoryActionResearch(PAR)methodologythatallowstheresearchedpersontoconveytheirreal-lifeexperienceofthecommunitywiththeuseofphotos.Photojournalismisadoptedtodevelopfurtherresearchonthespecificsocialissuesofmarginalizedgroupsfromthecommunity.ThisdesignisspecificallydrawnfromWangandBurris’pioneeringworkofusingphotographyinPAR.3 TherearethreegoalsofPhotovoice:

1) Enablepeopletodocumentandsharetheirlifecircumstancesandexperiences2) Facilitatepublicdialogueandknowledgeofcommunities’socialissues3) Shareinformationwithcommunityandreachkey-policymakerstobringsocial

change.THREEGOALS

ThepurposeofPhotovoiceistoallowparticipantstodeterminethesocialissuesintheirenvironmentthroughexpressionofphotographyandconvertintosocialaction.Context ThebeautyofPhotovoiceisitswiderangeofadaptability.Itprovidesplentyofroomforflexibility.Basedonitsframework,themethodologyandfocuscanvarydependingoneachsettingandpurposeofresearch.Despitethedifferences,everyPhotovoiceprojectsharestheimpactfulsimilarityofrevealingrealitiesandempoweringmarginalizedindividuals.4 3Wang,C.,andBurris,M.(1997).Photovoice:Concept,methodology,anduseofparticipatoryneedsassessment.HealthEducationandBehavior,24(3),369-387.4Palibroda,B.,Krieg,B.,Murdock,L.,andHavelock,J.(2009).ApracticalguidetoPhotovoice:sharingpictures,tellingstoriesandchangingcommunities.Retrievedfrom

Enable people to document and share their life circumstances and experiences

Facilitate public dialogue and knowledge of communities’ social issues

Share information with community and reach key-policy makers to bring social change

III

I

II


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InthecaseofCuncani,NCdesignedPhotovoicetotargetthehealthissueofthecommunity.CuncaniisasmallvillagelocatedinthemiddleoftheremoteAndeansregionwithahighaltitudeofapproximately4000metersabovethesealevel.Althoughthecommunitypreservesauniquetraditionalwayofliving,itssegregatedlocationlimitsthemfromreceivingadequategovernmentaidandaccesstoessentialinfrastructuresintheirvillage,suchasamarketorhealthclinic.Duetotheirlifecircumstances,malnutritionamongstchildrenhavebeenapersistentissueinthecommunity.

NChaspaidspecialattentiontousePhotovoiceasamethodtogainbetterunderstandingofdailyeatinghabitsthroughtheeyesofchildren,whichmaycontributetodiscovercluesrelatedtocurrenthealthstatusofthecommunity.Whileitallowedthechildrentofreelyexpresstheirvoiceusingcameras,andsupporttheirself-development,ittacklesthepersistentsocialchallengeofmalnutritioninthecommunity.OnesignificantadvantageofusingPhotovoiceinCuncaniisthat,unlikeothertraditionalresearchmethodology,whereinterviewsandsurveyswerecommonlyused,thePhotovoicemethodologyallowsNCtoobtainresultswhilerespectingthecommunity’sengagementandfreedomofexpression.Theoutcomeismuchmoremeaningfulasitexhibitsphysicalimagesofthemealsservedintheirhomes.Itovercomesthelimitationoftraditionalresearchmethodologieswheretherepresentativeofthehouseholdmayprovidefaultyinformation.Inaddition,thedesignofPhotovoiceconstructsahorizontalrelationshipbetweenthefacilitatorandtheparticipants,andintroductionofcamerassparkschildren’sinterestandenjoymentinphotography.Photovoice’sembeddedfocusonempowerment,innovativedesignandsocialinclusionhasgreatlyappealedtoNCasanexcellentresearchmethodologyforongoingcommunitydevelopment.Procedure NChasappliedPhotovoiceapproachwitheightstudentsingrade6.Learningfromthepreviousexperience,wedecidedonanagegroupwhohaveshownasufficientcomprehensiveskilltounderstandthepurposeofthemethodology,andabilitytoproperlyusecameras.Aftermuchplanning,adjusting,andcoordinationwiththelocalschooltheprojectwascarriedoutfromOctobertoDecemberof2017.Priortoimplementation,studentsandparentswereprovidedafreepriorinformedconsenttoparticipateinPhotovoice.Simplelanguagewasusedtoensurethattheyfullyunderstoodthepurposeofthemethodologyanditsexpectedoutcome.Childrenandtheirparentswereinformedthattheirparticipationwasonavoluntarybaseandtheyweregiventheoptiontowithdrawfromtheprojectatanytimeifevertheywished.Withourpurposetoprotectindividual’sprivacy,allparticipantsremainedanonymousinthefinalreport. http://www.pwhce.ca/Photovoice/pdf/Photovoice_Manual.pdf


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TheresearchassignmentforeachparticipantwastocreatetheirownPhotoJournalasafinalproducttodemonstratetheireatinghabitsinthecommunitybasedonthephotosoffoodthattheytook.Photojournalexhibitstheimagesoffoodeachparticipanttook,conveyingtothereaderwhattypeoffoodtheyeatonaregularbasis.TheworkshopstookplaceregularlyonMondaywhenfacilitatorsvisitedthecommunitytomonitorandsupervisetheprocess.Alltherequiredresourcestomakefoodjournalssuchasfourdigitalcameras,colorpapers,andprintedcopiesofcapturedphotoswerepreparedinUrubambawhereNC’sofficeisbased.Thefirststepoftheprojectwastoprovidesufficienttrainingtoequipthechildrentobecomecomfortableinusingcamerasandtocreatetheirownfoodjournals.CreatingasafeandengagingenvironmentwithchildreninthetrainingsessionwasessentialtosuccessfullyadoptingthePhotovoiceapproach.Mostparticipantsdemonstratedagenuinecuriositytousecameras.Afterthesession,childrenweregiventhecameratotakepicturesoffoodforanassignedweek.Astherewereonlyfourfunctionalcameras,participantstookturnstousethecameras.Oncealltheparticipantshadtakenphotos,thefacilitatorprintedallthephotosandhandedthemtoeachstudent.Aseachstudentcreatedtheirphotojournal,thefacilitatorthenaskedquestionsandledconversationswiththeparticipantstoexpresstheirthoughtsandinsightregardingtheirphotos.


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Results&Findings FollowingthethreegoalsofPhotovoice,wecollecteddataandidentifiedresultsaccordingtoeachcategory.Informalconversationsbetweenfacilitatorandparticipantsandquantitativeanalysisofcapturedphotosbythechildrenwerebothappliedintheprocessofdeterminingandexaminingtheresult.

I) EnablepeopletodocumentandsharelifecircumstancesandexperienceCreationofphotojournalshaveledtheparticipantstoshareanddemonstratetheirdaytodayeatinghabitsinthefamilies.Also,storiesbehindthephotostakenhaveopeneduptheconversationofrevealingtherealityoffoodenvironmentinthesmallAndeancommunity.

II) Facilitatepublicdialogueandknowledgeofcommunities’socialissues Discussionaroundthedailyfoodconsumptionhasnaturallyevolvedintotheconversationofrevisitingtheproblemfoodsecurity.Here,participantshaveassociatedtheircurrenteatinghabitswiththeproblemoflackoffoodvarietyandlimitedfoodaccessinthecommunity.

III) Shareinformationwithcommunityandreachkey-policymakerstobringsocialchange

TheresultofthePhotovoiceisstillintheprocessofreachingthekey-policymakersinthecommunity.Nonetheless,ithasreemphasizedtheimportanceofthedailyintakeofthechildrenandtheledourorganizationtostepuponceagainourlaunchoftheschoollunchprogramasakeycombatantofmalnutritionamongchildrenofCuncani.

II

Enable people to document and share their life circumstances and experiences

Facilitate public dialogue and knowledge of communities’ social issues

Share information with community and reach key-policy makers to bring social change III

I • Children’s Eating Habits

• Reality of Food Environment in the Community

• Lack of Food variety • Limited Food Access

• New Lunch Program


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I) Enable people to document and share their life circumstances and experiences

Children’s Eating Habits Theresultofphotojournalsshedlightonhighlightingtraditionaldietaryhabitsinthecommunity.ThisTABLEIillustratesoneoftheparticipant’smealsfortheweekdescribedinthefoodjournal.Thisfoodjournalofaparticipantgivesusagreatdealofdetailoftheeatinghabitsduringtheweek.TABLEI Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun

Breakfast Tea Soup Tea TeaQuinoa

Tea Tea Tea

Lunch Tea Tea SoupRice

PotatoTomatoOnion

MeatPotato

SoupPastaPotatoCheeseCornCelery

EggRicePasta

Dinner PastaPotatoEgg

SoupPotatoPasta

SoupRicePotatoTomato

RiceMeat

SoupRicePasta

SoupTomatoPotato

SoupPotato

FIGUREIII

Overall,photostakenbythechildrendemonstratedistinctsimilaritiesintheirdailymeals.Inthemorning,mostofthechildrenhadbread,corn,potatoesandfruitwithmilktea(SeeFIGUREIII).Becausepotatoesarethedominantcropgrowninthecommunity,itwasservedinalmosteverymeal.Asidefromthepotatoes,riceandpastawereoftenconsumedforlunchanddinner.Thedifferentkindofmeatswerealsopreparedfordinner,including


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chicken,alpaca,llamaandlambmeat.Accordingtothechildren,themostcommonmeatsconsumedwerelambandllama,whilepigsandguineapigsaresaidtobealsoconsumedbutaremostlyreservedforspecialoccasions.Ingeneral,foodismostoftenservedintheformofasouporstew.Itisoftenmadewithvegetables,(potatoes,carrots,greenpeas,onionetc.)andmeat(chicken,llama,sheepweremostcommon).Atthesametime,itisworthmentioningthattheparticipanthasonlyconsumedteaforlunchonMondayandTuesday.Reality of food environment in the community ThebenefitofPhotovoiceisthattheperspectiveofchildrenoffersusvaluableinsighttoillustratetherealityoffoodoptionsinthecommunity.Forexample,thefollowingphotosrepresentguineapigcultureinCuncani.

FIGUREIV

FIGUREIVtellstherelationsbetweentheAndeancultureandguineapigs.InCuncani,peopletreatsguineapigasavaluablefoodsource.Thestudentwhohastakenthisphotoexplains…

Theseareguineapigsthatweraiseinourhouse.Idon’trememberhowmanytherearebuttherearemanyguineapigs.Thereareeatingpastures.Ieatguineapigsonmybirthday,ormyfamily’sbirthday.Ireallylikeit.Itisverydelicious!

GuineapigsareconsideredafeastinInca’sculture,andareonlymeanttobeservedinceremonialoccasions.Interviewswiththestudentsrevealedthatalmosteveryfamilyinthecommunityownstheirguineapigsintheirhouseanditisoftensharedbetweencommunitymembersinthespecialcasesofbirthdays,localcelebrationsorweddings.Anotherstoryfromtheparticipantshasgivenmoreinformationaboutpotatoharvesting.Throughthephoto,heexplains…


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FIGUREV

Iamhelpingmyfathercultivateourland.Thisisforthepotatoharvest.Wedigholesinthelandandplantpotatoseedsafterwards.Wealwaysdoitinthisseason(November)andharvestpotatoesnextyear.Afterharvestingpotatoes,weeatorsellthematthemarket.Infact,weeatpotatoeseveryday.Also,thisphotowastakenbymylittlesister(6years-old).

PotatocultivationintheAndesculturehasbeeninheritedfromtheperiodoftheInkas.Thisstoryprovidesmoreinsightintheirreal-lifeexperienceandhowfoodiscollectedintheircommunity.Accordingtothelocalfamilies,therearealmost100differentvarietiesofpotatoesharvestedintheircommunity.LandcultivationandplantingseasonisfromSeptembertoNovember.Harvestedpotatoesareeatenthroughouttheyear,servingasastaplefooditemforfamiliesinCuncani.Thesearenotphotosoffoodthattheyeatbutrathertheytellastoryoftheirrelationshipwiththefoodenvironment.Throughvoicingtheirviewsandreflectingtheirlifestyle,Photovoicesuccessfullyprovidesparticipantswithspacetorevisittheirlifeexperience.

II) Facilitate public dialogue and knowledge of communities’ social issues. Lack of Food Variety Oneofmostoutstandingfindingsfromourquantitativedataanalysisisalimitedvarietyofingredientsshownintheirpictures.Among105photosoffood(TABLEII),wecouldonlyidentify16differentingredients(TABLEIII&GRAPHI).Itisworthnotingthisconclusionregardingingredientsisbasedonthecapturedphotos,descriptionsandexplanationsgivenbytheparticipants.Otheringredientsmaybeusedinfoodpreparation.ItshouldalsobesaidthatonelimitationsofusingPhotovoiceisrelyingon


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personaljudgement,whichmayinterferewiththeperceptionoftherealityofpeople’slives.Nonetheless,eventhoughitdoesnotpromiseaperfectindicationabouttheirlife,itstillprovidessomeusefulinsightreflectingtheirrealityofeatinghabits.Therefore,theindicatedinformationsuggestsasignificantlylimitedvarietyoffoodinthecommunity(consideringeightstudentshavetakenphotosforaweek).Theoutcomeofvarietyinthecommunitygiveimplicationstotheexistenceofmalnutritioninthecommunity.

TABLEII5 A B C D E F G H Total

Picturestaken 44 32 31 31 47 66 49 96 396Picturesoffood 10 23 13 13 9 7 7 23 105Picturesselectedforfoodjournals

19 1 16 16 11 6 0 18 87

TABLEIII6

Ingredients A B C D E F G H TotalPotatoes 6 0 12 6 2 1 1 4 32Tea 5 1 7 4 2 2 3 6 30Carrots 3 2 8 7 2 2 3 2 29Rice 6 4 6 2 1 3 1 4 27Soup 5 2 10 8 0 0 1 0 26Meat 3 5 4 6 3 2 0 2 25Pasta 2 2 0 2 0 2 1 4 13Greenvegetable 2 2 3 4 0 0 1 0 12Egg 0 3 1 0 1 3 1 2 11Fruit 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 3 7Tomato 0 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 6Lentils 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 4Onion 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 4Corn 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3Bread 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2Cheese 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

GRAPHI7

5Theeightparticipantshavetakenintotalof396photos.Amongsttotalphotos,105haveshownthepictureoffood.Besidesthepicturesoffood,studentshavetakenpicturesoftheircommunity,friends,animalsandotherthingsthathaveinterestedthem(TABLEI)6TABLEIIcategorizethefrequencyoffoodappearsonthephotos.Thisdataissolelybasedontheinterviews(descriptionandexplanationoftheirmeals)bytheparticipantsandourobservation.Wemusttakeintoaccountthattherearenon-mentionedingredientsthatcannotbeseenthroughphotos.Althoughitmaybenotreflectingthetruerealityofthefrequencyoffoodconsumedbytheparticipants,itprovidesthemeaningfulinsighttotheirreality.7VisualizedgraphofTABLEII


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Asthedatashows,thereisalimitedvarietyoffoodingredientsobserved.Forexample,FigureI(below)isaphotoofoneoftheparticipant’sfavoritemeal.Shementionedthatamongallmeals,herfavoritewasdefinitivelythericeandmeatsoup.

FIGUREI

Thisisasoupmadeofpotatoes,ricemeat,andvegetables.Thepotatoesarefromourland.Also,themeatisfromthesheepthatweraise.I’vetakenthis

photoathome.Thiswasthedinner.Ittastesdelicious.Whenthefacilitatoraskedwheretheingredientscomefrom,theparticipantreplied…

Potatoesarefromourland,andthemeatisalsofromoursheep.ButthericeandvegetablesareboughtfromLares(aneighboringvillageaboutanhourawaybywalk).WeusuallybuymostofthestufffromLaresbecausewecannotgrow

themhere(Cuncani).Lackofvarietyoffoodisalsoshownintheotherphototakenbydifferentparticipant.Sometimesthefoodcanbeveryplainwithjustriceandmeat.

05

101520253035

INGREDIENTSFREQUENCY

H

G

F

E

D

C


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FIGUREII

Thisisriceandsheepmeat.Imadeitatmyhouse.

Thestorytoldbythechildwhotookthisphotowasveryshortandbrief,onlydescribingwhatthefoodisandwhereshemadeit.Nonetheless,itshowsthattherearenovegetablesinhermeal.Indeed,amongstallthefoodphotosshetook,therewereonlytwopictureswithvegetablesinhermeal. Limited Food Access Limitedaccesstofoodmayderivefromitsdifficultgeographicalconditions.AgricultureisadominantactivityamongthemanyfamiliesinCuncani.Eachhouseholdcultivatestheirlandandharvestcrops.However,duetothehighaltitudeandextremeweather,opportunitiesforvarietyinagricultureissignificantlyinhibitedandismostlylimitedtopotatoesandsomeherbs.Also,despitethefrequencyofcarrotappearancesinthephotoswererelativelyhigh,theproportionofcarrotineachdishisverylow.

Abovephotosoffruitsleadtheconversationtothinkaboutthecommunity’sproblemofaccesstofood.Asdescribedinthepreviousstoryofoneparticipant,themajorityofvegetablesandfruitareonlyaccessiblefromLares.Thecoldweatherandaltitudedonot


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allowfamiliesinthecommunitytoharvestfruitintheregion.Fruitisjustanexampleofseveralfooditemsnotfoundinthecommunity.

Ilikefruits.WebuyfruitsfromLareseveryMondayonthemarketdays.Mymomalwaysgotothemarketandbuyallthefoodforweek.

Combiningtheresultoffamilyinterviewin20158,thestoriesbehindthefoodjournalscrystalizethesocialdifficultiesofthefamilieswithaccesstothemarket.Asaresult,therearetwomajorobstacles:limitedharvestandmarketaccess.Itshighaltitudeanditsweathersignificantlylimitstheirharvesttoonlypotatoesandsomeherbs.Meanwhile,itsextraordinaryconditioninthehighlandandisolatedgeographylessentheopportunitiestomarketaccess.

III) Share information with community and reach key-policy makers to bring social change

New Lunch Program TheresultoftheresearchprovidedNCwithdeeperunderstandingandinsighttowardsthecommunity’scurrentfoodenvironmentandcircumstances.Combinedproblemofaccesstofoodandlimitedmarketcanbetiedtoalackofnutritiousfoodamongchildrenandleadtomorecasesofmalnutrition.Respondingtothemalnutritionproblem,PhotovoiceanalysisservedasoneofthereasonsforNCtorelaunchourpreviousschoollunchprogramundertheumbrellaofnewhealthpromotionPOWERLunchprogram.Tothisday,wearesuccessfullycarryingoutPOWERLunchwhichisexpandedtoalunchprogram(serving5healthymealsduringschooldaysthroughouttheyear),ahealtheducationprogram(monthlyworkshopsinrelationwithimportanthealthissues),andusingPhotovoiceasatooltomonitorandevaluatetheproject.

Conclusion

8 2015 report NC


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What’s Next? ThenewlunchprogramisjustthestartingphaseofPhotovoiceinrealizingsocialchangeinthecommunity.Althoughithasyettoreachotherkey-stakeholders(suchastheparent’sassociation,thecommunitydirectoryboard,andthemunicipalgovernment)withinthecommunitysocialdynamics,werecognizegreatpossibilitytofurtherdevelopaPhotovoicemethodologytoenlargethepositivesocialimpactforthecommunity.OurnextplanistocontinuewithourefforttousePhotovoiceinourPOWERLunchProgram.Thepurposeofthestudyistoreplicatethepreviousgoalandrevealtheissuessurroundingtheireatinghabitsandfoodenvironment.Thistime,notonlylimitedtotheireatingattheirhouse,weaimtocapturecommunity’svoice/perspectivestowardsourlunchprogram.Searchingthequestionsof“howdochildrenperceivetheprogram?”willnotonlyundercoverthefoodenvironmentbutalsoserveasvitalmonitoringandevaluationtoolforourprogram.Furthermore,wehopetoextendPhotovoicedesigntoincludeparents’voicesaswell.Thelunchprogramissupportedbythreegroups:NC,thelocalschoolandtheparent’sassociation.NCorganizesthelunchingredientsfortheentireschoolyearandthelocalschoolisresponsibleforproperlystoringtheallocationoffoodingredients.Theparentstaketheroleofvisitingschooltopreparelunchandprovidetostudentduringschooldays.Asparentstakepartintheprogram,thereisanincreaseinstakeholdersinvolvedintheproject.WehavelearnedthatthePhotovoiceapproachrequiressubstantialtimeandeffort,especiallyinacommunitysuchasCuncaniwherecommunicationislimitedandcultureisdistinctfromours.Wehavefacedaseriesofchallengestoreachwherewearenow.WhilewearegenuinelycontentwithPhotovoice,therearemuchmoredetailstobesorted..Forexample,wehaveyettodeterminethebestpossiblemethodoffoodstorageandtimelymealpreparation.Discoveringtheentirefoodchainwillprovidefurthercluestoholisticallyidentifyingrootcausesofmalnutrition.ThePhotovoicehasproventobeaninnovativeandusefultoolinplantingtheseedforthesocialchangewithsincererespectforthecommunityinvolvement.WehopetoseethatthepowerofPhotovoicepermitscommunitymemberstopossessfurtherauthoritytoadvocateforabetterfoodenvironmentandcombatmalnutritioninthefuture.NClooksforwardtosharingourexperienceandknowledgetootherswhomaybeinterestedincommunity-basedresearchprojectsthatfurtherempowermarginalizedgroupofpeople.


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BibliographyNexosComunitarios.AccessedJune04,2018.http://www.nexos.org.pe/.Wang,C.C.,&Burris,M.(1997).Photovoice:Concept,methodology,anduseofparticipatoryneedsassessment.HealthEducationandBehavior,24,369-387.

photovoice - photo journals report (2018)photovoice is an innovative participatory action research...

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