Visible Voice: researching community health in Kyrgyzstan

Visible Voice1

Researching Community Health

in Rural Kyrgyzstan

Traditionally a nomadic people, many people living in rural areas remain dependent on herding and each year seasonal migrations take them to the summer pastures in the high mountain

valleys.

Tolok village lies at an altitude of 2,600m in the Kochgor Valley close to the Son Kul lake. The village is home to about 800 people. The climate is dry, cold and windy. Few crops can be

grown in these conditions.

Children play an important role in the everyday life of the village, Collecting water, looking after animals and younger children in the family. The water supply comes from a natural

underground reservoir.

Each household requires around 40 litres of water each day and all of this has top be carried form the water pumps to the houses.

If you can get a friend to help you out that makes the job a lot easier. Mutual support is important in these remote mountain communities but increasing competition for pasture following the privatisation of land ownership is raising some challenges in the post soviet

period.

Village diets are generally basic consisting of dairy products, tea and bread. Although the villagers have animals, meat is usually reserved for special occasions. Few vegetables grow in

this village.

With few jobs available in the villages these days social inequalities have increased with a few families owning large herds and flocks while many others live a subsistence lifestyle herding for

their rich neighbours.

We normally start our field work with a village meeting where we explain the project, answer questions and discuss possible topics for films and photo galleries.

Our research methods include: Conversational Interviews, Photo Observations, Participatory Video and Photography Workshops, Village Screenings and Collaborative Review Meetings.

Villagers decide on a topic, plan, photograph, film and edit the material. In Kyrgyzstan stories often focus on the everyday working lives of men and women in the villages. Livestock

breeding, not surprisingly, is a common topic.

Although the village administration is dominated by older men the participants in the workshops are predominantly women and younger men. The films are then presented to the rest of the village for discussion of issues raised.

Taking part in a Visible Voice project doesn’t feel like being a participant in a research project. It’s more like working together to show the world what your life is like.