Interactive, entertaining face-to-face communication was used as a strategy for engaging members of the Tichezerane AIDS support group in the participatory video project. On the first day, after inviting group members to take part in the project, Insight facilitated "the name game" and "the disappearing game" (from Section 2 of Insight's participatory video handbook) to give people a chance to see if they might be interested in taking it further. Organisers returned in a few days to carry out some additional preliminary participatory video games and exercises, such as a drama about going to visit a sick neighbour who opts to visit the witchdoctor rather than go the hospital to get herself tested for HIV (The visitors persuade her to go the hospital, and then do some household chores to help her out.)

When organisers arrived for the third and final session, group members "had already been discussing stuff that they wanted to film." Participants sang a song, said a prayer, introduced the group, told a few personal stories (those who wanted to), and then filmed their various activities, such as composting, growing vegetables to share and keep themselves healthy, selling blue gum trees to raise money for a common account to help one another in times of need, visiting the sick and helping them with chores, hiring a maize field and tending to it communally, teaching each other skills like literacy, uplifting each other's spirits, creating a non-discriminating environment, and working to change attitudes in the community. Group members reportedly filmed all these activities in "a very lively way" - one person would talk about the activity while the others would carry out that activity in the background.

Insight then screened the material back to group members at the completion of the project and recorded some filmed feedback. A 10mn video was developed showing the various activities carried out by the group, their history, and how they support one another and try to change attitudes in the wider community. This video is available for viewing on the Insight website.

HIV/AIDS, Rights.

This was a very short project with minimal funding; 3 afternoons in total were spent with the group, which had been in existence for about 6 months. Organisers claim that it still had a significant impact, citing comments from group members like these: "we never dreamt, we never even knew that one day we would learn to use, let alone touch, a camera..."; another said, "those people who hide their status are envious of us because we've had a really good time!"; and a third said, "the purpose of this group is that we should cheer each other up and eliminate discrimination. You guys, the way you interacted with us is one way of dealing with discrimination..."

Since making the film and showing it in their community, the group has grown from 23 members to 46, and has expanded some of its activities, in particular the vegetable garden and group therapy sessions. The members are also developing proposals to send to donors to fund their own advocacy campaigns, for replicating the DVD, and for supporting other income-generating activities. They are also hoping to purchase a video camera to make further films. The group has also sold 17 copies of the film to the Umoyo Network to distribute among members of their national network of NGOs working with HIV/AIDS issues; the profits from this sale are being used by the group to support their other activities. The distribution of the film has also led to contact and/or meeting between Tichezerane and other HIV community groups, in particular the Ambuye Tiyang’anireni group, with whom they are now working to campaign for the use and availability of female condoms among people living with HIV/AIDS. The group has also started working with a radio station to create a programme called Breaking the Silence, which will feature members giving personal stories and testimonies.

GOAL is planning to translate the film into Portuguese for use in Mozambique. According to Caroline Hurley, HIV/AIDS Advisor for GOAL in Dublin, “I think that participatory methodology is really fantastic and really enhances ownership among the members of the support group as well as the activities they are conducting. The result is a fantastic advocacy tool and addresses the issues of stigma and discrimination, and positive living. Just watching the video and seeing how happy the members are, makes me smile. It really shows that a little bit of support can make a huge difference! I think it will be of great use especially with new groups, showing that being diagnosed HIV positive is not a death sentence or a reason to stay behind a closed door”.