Photography as a Tool for Recovery and Healing
PHOTO VOICE Resilience and Rehabilitation Program
In the aftermath of October 7th attack and two years of war, PHOTO IS:RAEL launched a comprehensive program aimed at amplifying the voices of those affected by the war, as part of a process of personal and community recovery through the language of photography.
Throughout the program, hundreds of participants of all ages, survivors of the war, gained personal and group-based tools for visual expression and chose to tell their own stories: stories of loss and resilience. The activities focused on children, teenagers, and adults who were evacuated from their homes, as well as people affected by trauma.
PHOTO VOICE seeks to help participants reclaim ownership of their narratives, support the rebuilding of affected communities, and create new narratives of hope and healing.
The program is implemented using the PhotoVoice methodology, based on the belief that every person in society has the right to represent themselves, reflect their world to others, and be heard — in their own voice and in a direct way. This unique approach equips each participant and their community with tools for expression through photography.
Using these tools, participants photograph their own lives and environments, expressing their feelings and perspectives from their own point of view. At the end of the process, participants present the outcomes — photographs and written texts — in exhibitions where they share their stories with family members, friends, their community, and the wider public.
About the Program:
The program is implemented using the PhotoVoice model (Wang & Burris, 1997) – an applied, research-based methodology designed to enable community members to take ownership of their own stories and of the places where they live. Through photography, narrative writing, and captions, as well as group meetings in which participants share their stories, a collective community narrative is built.
The PhotoVoice method provides participants with proven research tools (photography and writing), enabling them to systematically document their experiences, tell their community’s story, and take part in the knowledge-production process about their own communities. In situations of trauma and disaster, such processes support healing, strengthen sources of resilience, and empower participants (Yaros & Graham, 2024).
The program is implemented through a unique collaboration with Dr. Menny Malka and the Interdisciplinary PhotoVoice Research Lab at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
Resilience and Recovery Program — In Numbers:
146 PhotoVoice groups were launched, engaging 1,947 participants.
Of these, 30 resilience groups operated in communities near the Gaza border and in northern Israel, focusing on recovery and trauma during and after the war.
An additional 30 groups took part in the “Breathing Space” project during the war with Iran.
197 PhotoVoice facilitators were trained through 11 courses conducted in Hebrew and Arabic.
130 groups presented their work at the 12th International Photography Festival, which welcomed 70,000 visitors.
In times of hardship, photography has the power to heal, to unite, and to inspire. Our hope is that together we can imagine a brighter future.
Eyal Landsman, Founder and CEO, PHOTO IS:RAEL
