I’ve mentioned the women of Sorta village in previous blog posts, and my incredible opportunity to explore their village and their lives during my visit to Bihar, India last month. In my visit I discovered that they are excellent gardeners, caring wives and mothers, savvy businesswomen, and community leaders.

A few weeks ago they added yet another job to their resume: reporter. I presented the information to the 20 members of the group. I explained to them that if they volunteered to participate, I’d provide six video cameras to document the changes that have been made in the two years that they’ve worked in their group, with Heifer, and with the project partners. They seemed excited but I’d have to wait until the next day to find out if anyone would be interested in participating.

All 20 women happily volunteered. 20 for 20. 100% participation!

Taking myself, someone who has never been to India, Bihar, or Sorta, out of the equation made the women less nervous. They took the reigns, completely. They had control of not only the camera but also the questions they asked and what they chose to document. The footage is their own and presents what they want to share about their community and their work.

Community based journalism tells a story from a unique point of view. Who better to learn from than the people that actually live the experience?

I’ll be using the footage, along with interviews from project partners and Heifer staff to put together a short documentary. Until then, photos from the experience will have to suffice.

Meet the reporters!