Children's Voices: Creative Paths to Learning

We completed the film for UNICEF Uganda this week. I am very pleased with it. The interface for the dvd is shown here. The film is called Children's Voices:Creative Paths to Learning'. It is a great film, with an apt title, as songs devised and sung by the children are used as the background music for the film. We produced two versions, a full film (just over 20 minutes long) and a short film (about ten minutes long) along with some discussion points.

It was a gruelling couple of weeks, but it was a good to do the field and face to face work in such a short space of time and then also edit and complete the film as well. It was less than a month and half for the entire project. Not bad, considering part of the editing process involved ensuring the film was on track with UNICEF in Kampala. We had to find easy ways for them to view the project online and give feedback and comments, Thank you Youtube. And of course Melvyn, my editor.

You can watch the whole film in parts in my youtube site. See link at the side of how to get there.




My recent project with UNICEF Uganda used creative media and participatory techniques in Karamoja. One of the aims of the project was to test the methodology and see if creative media can be used in Primary schools in Uganda to improve learning outcomes, especially among girls. I worked with members from the Girls Education Movement (GEM). The GEM members facilitated the workshops with the children.

You can read more about the launch of GEM in Uganda in October 2001 on the UNICEF website by following the url below:
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_10450.html

It was a real pleasure to work with the people from GEM. They were committed and intelligent young people, who provided excellent role models to the children in the schools.

UNICEF-Uganda: Using Creative Media in Abim, Karamoja

I have just been working on a test project with UNICEF Uganda, in Abim district in Karamoja in northeastern Uganda. I trained a group of Girls Education Movement (GEM) members in basic audio-visual technology and then they in turn trained some children and young people from two primary schools in Abim District, Karamoja in northeastern Uganda. We worked with the children to film, record and dramatise issues of importance to them around schooling, village life and girls traditional roles in society. One of the aims of the project is to see how involving children at risk from dropping out in creative methodology can improve learning outcomes in schools.

We learnt alot about the situation facing children in this remote area of Uganda, and we were also surprised and encouraged by the real enthusiasm we received from the children, but also the local community and district officials.

It is hoped that this project can be refined and rolled out to enable children's active participation in improving education in Uganda.

To see some more pictures you can check out my Flickr site (http://www.flickr.com/photos/35387190@N00/), and watch for further films and updates on my website (www.vanishingrites.com).