Understanding Water Perceptions in Limpopo Province: A Photovoice Community Assessment

The Effects of Water Insecurity and Emotional Distress on Civic Action for Improved Water Infrastructure in Rural South Africa

“…These engagements have generated a body of knowledge of local water use, water‐related emotions, and water acquisition strategies that include collecting surface water, collaborations among community members to divert surface water, and individual engagements with government offices. For example, Cunningham and colleagues () used the method of photo‐voice to assess the experience of water insecurity within these communities. UVA system engineering professor Garrick Louis has been involved in a long‐term project to develop a community‐based water filtration strategy that has required an understanding of the role of traditional authority structures, appointed community water boards, and local municipalities in water supplied to communities.…”

“…Questions on the study questionnaire were translated into the local language, TshiVenda, using culturally appropriate vocabulary. To ensure content validity, extensive pretesting of the final survey was conducted with key informants (research staff living within the area and surrounding neighborhoods) using cognitive interviewing methodology (DeMaio and Rothgeb 1996). Questionnaires were administered in face-to-face interviews conducted at the respondent's home.…”

Utilizing Photovoice to Support Indigenous Accounts of Environmental Change and Injustice

“…Said differently, Photovoice is an adaptable method that is modifiable to fit a particular community's needs and preferences. Modified versions of Photovoice have become commonplace in the literature, as researchers strive to meet the needs and realities of communities (Mitchell 2018;Castleden et al 2008;Badowski et al 2011;Bennett and Dearden 2013;Cunningham et al 2009). The flexibility of Photovoice is a particularly important aspect of CBPR in an Indigenous context where cultural considerations such as tribal diversity and sovereignty, extended timelines, and Indigenous ways of knowing are essential to the research process (LaVeaux and Christopher 2009).…”

“…Accordingly, water and sanitation issues were a common focus of Photovoice studies. In a village in Limpopo Province, South Africa Photovoice was used to understand the community's water needs (Cunningham et al 2009), and the method was used with urban American youth to explore local watershed issues and concerns (Chanse et al 2017). Among women, Photovoice has been used in Usoma, a lakeshore community in Western Kenya (Bisung et al 2015a;Bisung et al 2015b) and with Dar es Salaam mothers in Tanzania (Badowski et al 2011) to explore the nexus of water and health in relation to unsafe water and inadequate sanitation.…”

“…These studies illustrate that Photovoice is a viable method to research water and sanitation issues in water insecure communities. Results from these studies provide indicators such as the community's perceptions about water, including issues around water infrastructure and access, the relationship between water and health and hygiene, and gender roles and cultural aspects of water and sanitation (Cunningham et al 2009;Bisung et al 2015aBisung et al , 2015bBadowski et al 2011).…”