About

Digital storytelling is a creative, potentially transformative, participatory process which can help us gain deeper understanding into the multiple and complex ways that people’s lives are affected by the family experience.

Storytellers from Colombia, Guatemala, Indonesia, Rwanda and Zimbabwe made and shared heartfelt experiences that illustrate the importance of family. While most of the storytellers are children, some are adults; demonstrating that the need for family support does not end with childhood.

Our decision to use digital storytelling is part of our ongoing commitment to ensuring decision-makers acknowledge the importance and complexity of ‘family’ in policy making at the global and national level.

This series of stories is part of the second digital storytelling project.

Losing the Care of a Parent

This report explores what family means to children and adults in five countries using the digital storytelling technique.

Read the report in English and Spanish.

Digital storytelling uses storytelling methods to gain deep insights into feelings and experiences. Participants create individual stories about aspects of their own lives using still images and sound. Stories range from the impacts on children of family separation, multiple care moves, grief and not being heard; to the importance of meeting children’s needs, strengthening families, and supporting children’s resilience and tenacity. The stories highlight the importance of listening to children to both inform policy change and inform individual support needs.

A selection of videos can be viewed here: