Video Volunteers: India's Newest Journalists Shed Light on Hunger
Video Volunteers founder Jessica Mayberry believes that "it is of the utmost importance that local people are able to speak, rather than be spoken for."
Through her organization, citizens in India's poorest communities are trained in journalism and given a salary to create videos about the issues plaguing their communities.
Recently, TakePart caught up with Jessica to discuss the impact of Video Volunteers and their new initiative: The Hunger Video Project. The series of 12 videos showcases the hidden voices of hunger across India.
1. What inspired you to start Video Volunteers?
I was inspired to put my whole life into Video Volunteers in 2005 after spending two months training rural women in Andhra Pradesh to make a film on child marriage—something they had all experienced. I saw how strongly some people, particularly women, are silenced, and I saw the power of community media and how it gets people to talk about critical issues that aren't usually discussed. On the last night of training, the female producers screened their film in front of 800 people. It was the first time in that village's history that people were talking about child marriage as a group.
2. How is India affected by the hunger crisis?
India is very affected by the hunger crisis. Even a state like Gujarat, which is the so-called "engine" of growth, has an increasing amount of malnutrition and under-five deaths. This makes it impossible for anyone to believe that development and growth of industry is changing things for the better for the whole country. Millions of people are being left behind in the "new India" and the hunger statistics are the strongest evidence of this.
Shooting a video with Video Volunteers in a poor, rural area of India. (Photo c/o Jessica Mayberry)3. Why did you choose to put the camera in the hands of locals instead of making a film about hunger and poverty in India?
For one, community people have access that outside professionals don't. Even the best documentary filmmakers can often only spend a short period of time in a community. By contrast, a community member lives there all the time and has incredible knowledge and access that an outsider doesn't, no matter how sensitive that outsider is.
4. What do you hope comes out of The Hunger Video Project?
I hope the videos will convince people that hunger is an issue that is taking place in every corner of India, and that it really is a national issue that must be dealt with.
5. Can you tell me about a particular person or family's story that has deeply affected you?
There is a video from Jharkhand in The Hunger Video Project collection that really moved me. The child's belly is totally distended from hunger. I heard from the producer who made it how much he wants to help this particular family. That is what a community producer will do rather than an outside expert.
Another story that is really inspiring is Mukesh Razak's. Mukesh is a young Dalit from Jharkhand state—a place that has some of the highest rates of teacher absenteeism in the country. On any given day, 41.9 percent of Jkarkhand's teachers are absent from the classroom. They also force students to pay them bribes for everything, from basic school supplies to taking exams, and simply teaching.
Focusing his attention on the situation in his school, Mukesh produced Pay Bribe, Take Education. Video Volunteers published it on our IndiaUnheard website and Mukesh showed the video to authorities. Teachers were demoted, Mukesh no longer had to bribe them to do their jobs, and neither did his 500 classmates. That's the power of community media.
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