“Sometimes I Don’t Feel Safe”

With support from United Nations children’s fund UNICEF, Sonke launched its PhotoVoice project in June to make children’s voices heard through photography and writing. The first four-day workshop took place with 20 children at Mphathesitha High School in Nkandla and created a space for boys and girls to talk about their experiences, hopes and dreams and to mobilise adults, especially men, to help them meet their needs.

Children between the ages of 12 and 18 spoke about how they see themselves in their communities, their perceptions of adults, their understandings of gender and HIV/AIDS and their experiences with service delivery, with school and sometimes with illness, abuse and hunger. The process and outcomes of this workshop are discussed in this case study.