Journey of Purpose : Melanie Dill: Photovoice Workshop

I had the privilege to be part of a Photography Workshop with my art students at Butterfly Art Project. I was looking for someone to help conduct a class on Photography with my kids, and someone connected me with a group that wanted to do such a class in our area. Sustainable Livelihood, an NGO in Cape Town, wanted to do TB and HIV education through a creative lens.

We did a two-week community outreach course - educating people from Capricorn, Overcome and Seawinds (3 communities in walking-distance from our school) at the Butterfly Art Project venue. The facilitators did short courses on the seriousness and spread of TB and HIV in our area - debunking myths of the diseases and making the facts accessible! Then, a professional photographer and her students showed the participants how to tell a story about "community" through photographs.

Then, the participants went home with an old-fashioned disposable film camera with the assignment to take photos of their world and tell a story. The photographers printed the photos and our students had to title each piece to express what they wanted to say.

This course gave our community a VOICE.

This course gave our students knowledge.

This course empowered our artists with a new medium!

The photos were exhibited at a community event on May 23, 2015! Our students helped display their work and were hosts to this big event! More health education was done and our community had a fun day together.

I love this community and the new, creative opportunities God has opened up for me to serve, love and share His love with Capricorn. Pray for even more doors of ministry to be opened through these deep relationships and investment in people!