Strengthening Meaningful Community Engagement through Photovoices
©Maria Adityasari/Dok.PVI/Yogyakarta/2026
OVERVIEW
2026
The Coral Triangle Center (CTC), a PVI partner and nonprofit organization focused on marine and fisheries resource management in Maluku, collaborated with PVI to introduce the Photovoices approach to 16 nonprofit organizations across the province.
CTC actively participates in and serves as a catalyst for several NGO forums in Maluku, including the NGO Forum of the Maluku Marine and Fisheries Agency. The forum currently brings together more than 26 NGOs, CSOs, and community groups, working to build effective and collaborative relationships that support the sustainable management of marine and fisheries resources.
Over three days, from 7–10 April 2026, in Maluku, PVI brought together 18 participants to explore emerging community issues more deeply through the methods introduced during the training. The participants learned how to apply these approaches to engage communities effectively in various initiatives that support program success. Following the training, each organization developed a follow-up action plan and began implementing it in the field.
GALLERY
HIGHLIGHTS
Varied participants
The training brought together a diverse group of participants, including representatives from NGOs, CSOs, and community groups that are part of the NGO Forum of the Maluku Marine and Fisheries Agency, as well as staff from regional offices of the Marine and Fisheries Agency. Their work focuses on the sustainable management of marine and fisheries resources. The training also included representatives from organizations working on disability rights, women and children’s well-being in Maluku, and education.
Bringing together government staff involved in policymaking with NGO and community representatives created an interesting dynamic during the group discussions. When forming the working groups, participants even suggested mixing government representatives with participants from other organizations so they could learn from one another, better understand each other’s roles, and build relationships based on mutual respect.
The participation of people with disabilities also brought a more inclusive perspective to the training, enriching discussions and encouraging participants to consider diverse experiences and perspectives.
Building Community Trust
One training participant creatively applied several Photovoices approaches to support the monitoring and evaluation of their organization’s program. The Photovoices principles for building trust through community engagement provided a foundation for conducting observations and interviews as part of the program evaluation process. These approaches helped foster more open and effective communication by creating a safe space where everyone felt comfortable sharing their experiences and perspectives.
PVI’s Principles as a Reminder
TThe principle of honoring voice, one of PVI’s key principles, serves as an important reminder for participants to ensure that every community group has space to express its perspectives—particularly those whose voices are rarely heard or who have limited opportunities to speak up.
Through the principle of safe and ethical practice, participants were also encouraged to conduct detailed risk analyses, as well as issue and stakeholder mapping, to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the context and dynamics of a particular area.
Using Photos to Raise Awareness and Gather Information
During the online post-training evaluation, participants reported that they had begun using photographs as a tool to spark critical discussions with local communities through the LIHAT+ or SHOW(ed) method, a key component of the participatory photography approach.
One participating organization used photographs and the LIHAT+ method during an awareness-raising session with schoolchildren. The photographs helped facilitate discussions about the core issues affecting the community, their underlying causes, and the actions needed to address them. Participants were able to better understand and engage with the messages being conveyed. In addition to significant improvements in knowledge, teachers also observed changes in the students’ behavior following the session.
The LIHAT+ method was also useful for participants from a disability-focused organization during field observations. For participants who are blind or visually impaired, for example, companions provided support with taking photographs at observation sites. Through LIHAT+, the observation team was encouraged not only to take photographs but also to understand the situation behind each image, the surrounding environment, the root causes of the issue, and why the particular subject or issue was being documented. This process helped ensure that the photographs accurately conveyed the issues the team wanted to communicate.
The Photovoices approach also served as a bridge for participants from other organizations when documenting issues through photography. By interacting with local communities, they were able to learn more about the subjects they photographed, gain deeper insights into the issues, and develop a better understanding of the communities and their experiences.
An Approach to Influencing Policy
Government staff participating in the training recognized the potential of photography as a tool to reach and influence policymakers. By applying the principles of honoring voice and building trust through community engagement, the Photovoices approach can help bridge the gap between government and communities, challenging the perception that government exists separately from the people it serves.
PROJECT STAKEHOLDER
