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.