Empowering Maasai women behind the camera: Photovoice as a tool for trachoma control.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Photovoice is a method used to help engage community members to understand local realities and promote social change. Photovoice uses cameras in the hands of participants as a tool to visually document a specified topic. Photos taken by participants allow for reflection and stimulate dialog on an issue to ideally lead to social change. Trachoma, hyperendemic in Maasai communities in Northern Tanzania, is the commonest infectious cause of blindness worldwide, caused by chlamydia trachomatis. The bacterial infection commonly occurs in childhood and over many years repeated infections leads to inflammation and scarring of the eyelid. Often as adults this leads to the upper eyelid turning inward and eyelashes scratching the eye, resulting in pain and eventually blindness. We used photovoice as a tool for Maasai women to share their lived experiences of educating peers on trachoma and ultimately empowering women in this society. METHODS: This public engagement intervention was conducted September thru October 2017. We held a workshop on trachoma control for 20 Maasai women including use of photovoice method. Women were asked to disseminate information from the trachoma control workshop to their community and to capture their experiences using disposable cameras. Five weeks post-workshop we facilitated a discussion and women displayed photos of the successes and challenges they encountered as advocates for trachoma control in their community. INTERVENTION OUTCOMES: It was observed throughout the process and at the photo discussion meeting, that women articulated empowerment by this experience; as educators, agents of change and a source of valued information. CONCLUSION: Photovoice should be considered for future interventions as a communication tool on health issues and to empower women to be ambassadors for health promotion.

Trachoma is a blinding eye disease caused by bacterial infections. It mostly effects people living in low- and middle-income countries including the Maasai tribe in Tanzania. Photovoice is a method using photography to document, reflect upon and engage community members to communicate issues of concern. This paper describes the use of photovoice as part of a program to educate Maasai women on preventing and managing trachoma in their community. In this intervention, co-developed with the community, participants were asked to share information from a workshop on trachoma with their community and to capture their experiences as educators using disposable cameras. Five weeks post-workshop women shared photos of the successes and challenges they encountered when educating the community about trachoma. Women demonstrated empowerment as participants in this public engagement intervention. The lessons learned from this intervention and its use of photovoice can inform future interventions for health promotion and to empower women to be ambasadors of change in resource limited settings.