Well, we have been in India for one week now, and to say that we have hit the ground running would be quite the understatement. It has only been 5 days since we arrived at CRHP and we have everything set up for our Photovoice projects! Our meeting with Ravi on Monday went better than we could have imagined. We will be working with a group of young adult participants from a village called Kusadgaon AND a group of CRHP's Village Health Workers (VHWs). We were elated to hear this because the VHWs are already key change agents in their communities and know so much already about how to identify issues and assets in their own villages. We can't wait to learn from them! Just when we thought it couldn't get any better, we learned that Jayesh, an old friend and one of the senior social workers and trainers at CRHP, will be our co-facilitator and interpreter. Jayesh has a passion and excitement for this project that matches ours, and his lifetime of experience in the community and knack for facilitation make him an invaluable participant in Look Out Loud.
On Wednesday, the three of us traveled about 15 minutes to Kusadgaon and met with our first batch of participants to introduce ourselves, Photovoice and Look Out Loud. We have a very diverse group to work with there that includes seven guys and two girls ranging in age from 15-23, and members from all different castes and sectors of society. (The social scientists in us are quite excited for the potential for comparison and analysis between the photos and perspectives that are shared!) And yesterday we met with a group of 5 VHWs, the 2nd batch we are working with, to do the same introduction we did in the village. We will be working in the village on Mondays and Thursdays and here at CRHP with the VHWs on Thursdays and Fridays. We are really looking forward to seeing the different perspectives each individual brings to our discussions and to the photographs they will be taking.
Annie, Maggie, Jayesh and some VHW and Photovoice participants. Panorama shot (messed up a bit towards the end there...)
Maggie and I were excited to learn that in our spare time, we'll be able to use our technical skills to meet some of CRHP's needs as well, by filming and creating videos for visitor training sessions and education, specifically documenting the VHWs' life stories. The VHWs share their stories of life before and after becoming a Village Health worker with the many groups that come to CRHP so that they can learn about the issues that women here in India still face, how becoming a VHW has changed their lives, and to share the work they do in their communities. So far this week, we have filmed six stories and will be going to post production to cut, translate, and subtitle the videos before doing more of them. We'll also be doing some photography for annual reports, newsletters, and other purposes.
So between that and Photovoice, we have our plates full for sure, but we couldn't happier or more grateful for the opportunities CRHP has provided for us. Ravi's enthusiasm for our project and its potential impact here confirmed yet again that this is exactly where we should be.
Simply put, everything about this week has left us feeling extremely inspired.
Tomorrow we have our first official Photovoice session with the VHWs and we can't wait!
Simply put, everything about this week has left us feeling extremely inspired.
Tomorrow we have our first official Photovoice session with the VHWs and we can't wait!
