Using Photo-Elicitation Methods to Understand Resilience Among Ultra-Poor Youth and Their Caregivers in Malawi

Barrington, Clare; Villa-Torres, Laura; Abdoulayi, Sara; Tsoka, Maxton; Mvula, Peter

doi:10.1177/1090198117728756

Cited by 10 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 26 publications

(36 reference statements)

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“…The images are used to encourage reflection on life experiences and how they relate to the topic of interest. This methodology has been adapted to the Malawi context and piloted in 2015 with SCTP youth beneficiaries in Balaka District on the topic of experiences of resiliency and vulnerability (Barrington, Villa-Torres, Abdoulayi, Tsoka, & Mvula, 2017). Particularly, Barrington et al (2017) noticed that the youth were noticeably more engaged in the Photovoice sessions than similar youth in their teams’ prior in-depth interviews.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of productive activities in the lives of adolescents: Photovoice evidence from Malawi

Zietz

Hoop²,

Handa

2018

Children and Youth Services Review

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Adolescence is an important transitional period, separate from both childhood and adulthood. Critical physical and mental development occurs during adolescence, including emotional skills, physical, and mental abilities. Behaviors adopted during this lifecourse period have critical implications for adolescents’ future health and well-being. The main research question of the present study is: what is the role of productive activities in the lives and development of adolescents in rural Malawi? As part of this study, selected adolescents from poor rural households were asked to take photographs of their daily (productive) activities. These photographs served as a starting point for focus group discussions. In addition to including adolescents, we conducted qualitative interviews with caregivers and teachers to triangulate and obtain a more holistic understanding of adolescent engagement in productive activities. The main themes that emerged were that 1) the work that is conducted by adolescent boys and girls inside and outside the household is not only perceived by adolescents as a product of poverty, but as a point of pride, as well as a potential means of providing for one’s future, 2) there is a tension between the needs of the family and schooling, and 3) adolescent productive activities are associated with minor although not negligible hazards and injuries. We discuss that these qualitative findings help to better understand how social protection interventions, such as Malawi’s Social Cash Transfer Program, may affect adolescent engagement in work and adolescent wellbeing more generally.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of productive activities in the lives of adolescents: Photovoice evidence from Malawi

Zietz

Hoop²,

Handa

2018

Children and Youth Services Review

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“…The method has been shown to facilitate verbalisation and insight, and to encourage younger participants to take the lead and express themselves [ 34 ]. While we are not aware of photo-elicitation being used in studies of school toilet facilities, the technique has enriched and facilitated interview processes in research throughout sub-Saharan Africa on topics including resilience [ 35 ], gender [ 36 , 37 ], pain [ 38 ] and palliative care [ 39 , 40 ]. We used photo-elicitation to generate a detailed understanding of girls and other stakeholders’ perceptions of toilets.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Female-friendly toilets in schools in Burkina Faso: A mixed-methods study using photo-elicitation

et al. 2022

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Background An absence of gender-sensitive sanitation facilities in schools and the negative effects this has on girls has been widely discussed among advocacy groups, though less examined in academic spheres. Drawing on triangulated data, we outline current challenges and respondent-driven solutions to enhance the female-friendly nature of toilets in a context of extreme poverty. Methods This mixed-methods study was informed by the tenets of human-centred design. We first quantitatively assessed facilities in 14 secondary schools in the Kossi Province of Burkina Faso. We then collected qualitative data, including 15 focus group discussions and 53 in-depth interviews among schoolgirls, mothers, teachers and key informants. We applied photo-elicitation, a novel method, to explore perceptions of facilities and the desirability and feasibility of interventions to improve gender-friendly sanitation facilities. Results No school met international water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) standards for schools. Roughly one third of schools did not have water and, when present, there was no reliable way to use it within the toilet complex. Schoolgirls shared feelings of shame and stress when menstruating at school, and said that they would avoid using school toilets, if possible. Schoolgirls described water access as the most urgent need to address, followed by fostering privacy and facilitating cleanliness within facilities. Mothers and teachers mostly aligned with these priorities, while key informants additionally emphasised the need to raise awareness on both general and menstrual hygiene and to develop maintenance systems. Photo-elicitation engaged and empowered participants to pinpoint priorities and concrete solutions, namely a need for doors and locks, water containers and cleaning materials. Conclusions WASH needs in many schools remain unmet. Women and girls should be involved in decision-making across stages of intervention design and implementation. Young women’s voices merit greater inclusion in academic literature. Future interventions should enhance access to water and privacy. Future research could explore maintenance and monitoring strategies to develop guidance on sustainable solutions.

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“…There have been three community-based projects using photovoice in Malawi. One addressed resilience related to poverty as part of a cash transfer project ( Barrington et al, 2017 ). Another explored adolescent well-being through youth daily activities ( Zietz et al, 2018 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing Action Plans in Youth Photovoice to Address Community-Level HIV Risk in Rural Malawi

Lofton

Norr

Jere

et al. 2020

International Journal of Qualitative Methods

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Youth-driven approaches to HIV prevention can engage youth and improve health outcomes. Photovoice has been used to engage youth in identifying the assets and challenges in their communities. In sub-Saharan Africa, youth remain vulnerable to HIV infection. This article describes a photovoice project, named Youth Photovoice, conducted in rural Malawi, which focused on community places and situations relating to risky sexual behaviors that place youth at risk of HIV infection. Twenty-four youth, ages 13–17 (12 males and 12 females), participated in Youth Photovoice. During the photovoice process, youth identified five community situations and places that put them at risk of unsafe sex and thus HIV infection: initiation ceremonies, isolated places, community celebrations, local businesses such as bars and rest houses, and church-sponsored activities. Youth used a systematic action planning process to develop action plans. They presented their action plans to local leaders and parents. Parents and leaders responded positively and agreed to help the youth carry out their plans. If their plans to address community situations that put them at risk of unsafe sex succeed, there will be a direct impact on reducing the risk of HIV infection among youth. Youth Photovoice provided the opportunity for youth to obtain new skills, build new partnerships, and present their ideas to community leaders. Integrating this action planning process into photovoice helped to guide the youth toward actualizing their HIV prevention plans in their community. This process can increase the effectiveness of photovoice initiatives to address other community issues in a wide variety of settings.

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Using Photo-Elicitation Methods to Understand Resilience Among Ultra-Poor Youth and Their Caregivers in Malawi

Cited by 10 publications

References 26 publications

The role of productive activities in the lives of adolescents: Photovoice evidence from Malawi

The role of productive activities in the lives of adolescents: Photovoice evidence from Malawi

Female-friendly toilets in schools in Burkina Faso: A mixed-methods study using photo-elicitation

Developing Action Plans in Youth Photovoice to Address Community-Level HIV Risk in Rural Malawi

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