The Community Reporters

Community Reporters is a community-centred initiative that equips community members from urban settlements with the tools to tell the stories. Stories that the Community Reporters want the world to see, hear and read. Stories around issues of local importance. IIHS lead TNUSSP conducts workshops and mentors local community members in simple film techniques and visual methodology, equipping them with the skills to become audio-visual producers and knowledge creators who bring their own unique perspectives and insights to bear upon issues that affect them and their respective communities. Stories created by the community reporters become triggers for discussion and debate within the community itself, as well as to a wider virtual audience. This initiative is a platform for Community Reporters to express stories of their lives, culture and contexts…stories that would be otherwise invisible or non-newsworthy in the mainstream. All this, through the simple yet powerful device of a smartphone.

Stories they want told.
Stories that can make change happen.

IIHS lead TNUSSP only provides training and mentorship for Community Reporters with the right tools, methods, and skills to tell stories that matter to them. It is the Community Reporters who choose what stories they want to tell the world. They hold the voices, and they tell the stories.

Video Stories

The first set of films from the first team of Community Reporters highlights issues around urban sanitation and the issues that sanitation workers face.

Open defecation is not just a sanitation issue, but also a major public health issue as well. Community Reporter Kanjana, along with her Self Help Group, has managed to make her community open defecation free! Watch her tell her story and how she found strength in unity.
While sanitation workers are frontline workers in maintaining public health, they often work in unprotected conditions. Our Community Reporter Kannan tells the story of the how working in unhygienic environment without much safety equipment affects the health of sanitation workers. And how PPE kits protects them and helps them lead a healthy life.
TNUSSP works with schools in raising awareness on Menstrual Health Management (MHM). Our Community Reporter Revathy shows us the best way to dispose a sanitary napkin, ensuring menstrual hygiene for her family, her neighbourhood and her city
Access to potable water continues to be a major issue, especially in urban settlements. Community Reporter Shiny talks about the struggles her community faced to get clean drinking water.
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Photo Stories

While the video stories highlights the issues of urban sanitation, photo stories by the Community Reporters feature ground reports of important happenings in the communities.

In the first of many workshops planned, #communityreporters explored the ropes of film-making for 5 days to bring you their unique stories around WASH.
Kanchana our #IIHS_Community Reporter, along with her Self Help Group,
This initiative aims to narrate stories of communities from their own perspective, voice and vision through our #communityreporters and visual media #voicesfromground #beginningsofjourneys:
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Meet the Community
Reporters

Revathy
Homemaker. Does tailoring in her free time.
Shiva
Construction Worker. Social Activist.
R Kanchana
Homemaker. Activist. Social Service worker.
Shiny
Homemaker. Activist.
Divya
Engineer. Now at home, after the birth of a child.
Kannan
Works in an organisation called PDA. Project Coordinator

Tools and Resources for CRs

Kanchana our #IIHS_Community Reporter, along with her Self Help Group, has managed to make her community open defecation free! Watch her tell her story and how she found strength in unity!