Giving a face to HIV and AIDS: on the uses of photo-voice by teachers and community health care workers working with youth in rural South Africa

Abstract

This paper focuses on an ongoing project in rural South Africa involving teachers and community health workers addressing their work with youth and HIV and AIDS. It outlines a photo-voice component of the project, highlighting in particular the design features of setting up such a project, and in particular addresses five emerging issues in visual methodologies: technical concerns, interpretation, ethical concerns, documentation and taking action. The paper concludes by looking at the ways in which the kind of reflexivity afforded by visual methodologies can help to make visible a plan of action for change. In a province of South Africa that is at the epicentre of the pandemic, this is vital.

Key words:

• education
• HIV and AIDS
• photo-voice
• reflexivity
• teachers
• visual methodologies
• youth