The Mobile Photovoice Media is a flat form where issue of concern to the community can be publicized and discussions created. (Advertising works for product promoters), in the same way this project can be use to reach the community fast and cheaply. The Photovoice is for 10 people who are born and lived in this area, ignored by the community and their voices have never been heard are able to tell their stories through photos. They suffered the same fate as everyone during the Lord Resistance Army Wars in Northern Uganda. “I would love a photo of myself” that can tell my story!
Topical focus:
Country:
What locality or neighborhood will your project focus on?
Lira
Describe the specific population with whom you will be working.
These are indigenous members of various clans in Lango tribes living in Lango region in the Northern region of Uganda. These people have lived all through the insurgencies in the Northern region perpetuated by Lord's Resistance Army insurgency that ravaged Northern Uganda, the increased violence of 2002 resulted in massive population displacement within Lira. They survived! The project idea came from them, of the 10 persons I profiled each of them wished they had a photo since they have no children, who can be used as a reference thus the development of this project. Many research have been done in this area, results published on internet where other people see but not the participants, this project aims to share this information with the participants, uploaded on the internet.
Who else will be on your team to help implement the project?
Joan Abang; jobangs@gamil.com; has worked with underprivileged population i.e. LGBTI persons in various projects, also native of the region with good knowledge of the area and documented information in the local language. She is conversant with computer and internet and other modes of sharing information.
Juliet Kushaba, juliet321@gmail.com a young writer who has written small stories and published them in the local books in Uganda. Her contribution will help us guide the participants in sharing their life stories.
The coordinator for this project Facebook account are: www.facebook.com/lucill.ebong
What kinds of news, stories and other content will be created?
The project will create snap shots of the lives of the most vulnerable within communities, the World bank’s reports of living under a dollar a day does not capture these lives. The neglected has been reached! This project is communal documentary to be shown the community through video with the use of computer and projector. An exhibition can be organized in open markets, outside prayers places in the communities. The mobile exhibition is citizen media for the communities. The information will sensitize the rural populations about the plight of these people. It’s an innovation that can be used in other projects to reach the rural people and online users can follow up updates by the project coordinator.
What technologies and digital tools do you plan to use in the trainings?
Describe the connections that you or your organization have already established or plan to establish that will contribute to the success of the project.
During research in Northern region, I did basic profiling of these people and I established connections with them, this project idea has been pending for some time as I look for funding. Barr is my birth place, and I know some of the participants. I have a home office for my projects there. I have developed partnership with local leaders and community, police, NGOs in area and the district. There are local news reporters, radio presenters and media persons that I have worked with in the previous projects who will contribute to the success of this project.
How many participants do you think will be trained in your project?
We intend to train 10 participants who have no knowledge of using the equipments cameras, voices recorders and computers/projectors. It will be interesting to train the group, most of the equipments are very easy to operate but they still need to learn it. (even simple things like switching on and off). Remember they have never gone to school, although reading and writing is not the focus of this project, but telling stories and taking photos of themselves which will be interesting to them. As mentioned before local leaders are involved and the photovoice project is based at the home of the participants and for a short time, we have to work on the timeline with them to make sure they stay in the project for the duration.
Describe which technologies, tools, and media you will focus on when training participants.
We shall train the participants on photography, voice recording, where all they will need is learn how to focus the lens and take their pictures, and the use of voice recorders, these are very simple processes, I have used them in rural setting for various research and sampled it. The result is that everyone can use it. My partners, Jay experience in working with the underprivileged population in communities and will support them in confidence building and communication with impact. Juliet is a story teller and a writer who will teach on the basics on telling stories in a very simple ways through photos. This photovoice project is inclusive of all i.e. people with disabilities (the blind can hear and deaf can see)
Describe the facilities where you will hold the workshops.
The Community Centre in the sub-county was built and is supported by Plan international (Uganda Chapter) for the community. It’s used to train youth from the district on ICT and communication as tools for development. It’s equipped with solar panel to power the 15 computers, 1 scanner, 1 printer, personal cameras, voice and video recorders. It has furniture that can be set for workshop, teaching, entertainment etc. There are caterers from nearby centre that provides meals to those who use the facility at a cost. Mobile internet (USB modems) can be used in these computers and lap tops that are used by the coordinator of the project. A projector is hired during training.
What is your current relationship with the community with whom you plan to work? What makes you the most appropriate individual or organization to implement this project?
Barr is my birth place and I have lived there. I have done research in the Northern region, done mini work i.e. profiling of the participants. I have knowledge of working with different communities both in rural and town or city areas. Although my organization office is in Kampala, for this project we shall have a coordinating office in Barr Trading Centre my home village.
My commitment with this community in development work, health and eradication of poverty, stigma and discrimination. Internet is connecting the global and everyone with that knowledge should connect their people. The photovoice can be used to sensitize women on maternal health, reproductive health, other information on disease outbreaks. The project is easy to sustain since all you need is photos which can tell
What specific challenges do you expect to face when planning and implementing your project?
This project is so interesting that market exhibitions might be overcrowded. The security in this region has improved but there are issues of petty thefts which might be a problem for participants since thieves might think they have been given some money. We intend to make this a very transparent project including the local leaders, police so that they inform the communities during meetings of what we are doing and develop guideline for exhibitions. An area will be set during the market days a distance where people walk in and see the exhibitions at leisure.
How will you measure and evaluate the project’s impact, specifically: your primary participants, the wider regional community, or the global digital community?
o The interest of participants from start to end of project
o Their capacity to use this simple ICTs equipments during the project
o Their interactions with the community on the impact of internet
o The interest by the development partners, health workers etc to use the photovoice media
o Attitude change among the community about the participants
o The digital community introducing the project to other communities
o My success will be determined by the interest/contribution from the community during exhibitions sensitization workshops and radio discussions. (which might not be funded by this grant but as social support by the radio stations and community leaders)
If your project were to be selected as a Rising Voices grantee, what would be the general timeline of project activities in 2014?
May 2014- Contacting the participants in the photovoices project, getting their consents, informing the local leaders and security in the area and training workshops for learning the use of ICTs equipment (Camera, voice recorder and mobile phone)
June 2014- Taking photos and voice recording, reviewing and editing the photovoices with the participants and consultant.
July 2014- Transcribing and translating the voice recording from Luo language to English and editing the photos to fit with the stories
August 2014 – Photovoice exhibition and collection of feedback and writing and submission of the final report to the funders.
Detail a specific budget of up to $2,500 USD for operating costs.
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Digital Camera 300
Voice recorder 200
Mobile phone 100
Exhibition board 150
USB Modems 100
Subscription for internet 150
Local Transport refund 50
Hire of hall 30
Break fast 40
Lunch 100
Stationery and printing 100
Airtime 50
Travel Fuel 200
Local Travel 150
Coordinator/Translator 400
Camera person 150
Community exhibitor 100
Besides the microgrant funding, what other support can Rising Voices provide for your project to ensure its success?
The Rising Voices can support us to present our project in different forums such as conferences and publishing in journals. Link us to different partners’ websites and support for writing articles concerning the project. Identification of reference to different journals.
Contact name
Akello Lucy Ebong
Organization
Health Link Initiatives
1 comment
Dear members, help me get feedback on this proposal for future improvements.