Visible Voices: Amplifying Perspectives of Street Connected Children in Nepal

During my summer internship with Voice of Children (VOC) in Lalitpur, Nepal, I had the privilege of designing and facilitating a project entitled Visible Voices. As a master’s student in International Disaster Psychology at the University of Denver, I entered this placement eager to learn, listen, and build relationships rooted in cultural humility.
VOC works to protect and empower children who have been street-connected or experienced abuse, focusing on prevention, rehabilitation, and sustainable reintegration. While the term street-connected captures the hardships these children have faced, it can also perpetuate stigma. I wanted my project to avoid reproducing that narrative. Instead of centering past hardships, Visible Voices emphasized empowerment, self-efficacy, and skill-building, inviting children to create and explore rather than be defined by labels.

The Project and Process
Photovoice is a participatory method that uses photography and group reflection to amplify marginalized perspectives. Working alongside VOC staff, I guided children through learning photography basics and capturing images that reflected their own ideas.
Rather than imposing a predetermined question, I encouraged them to choose frames that resonated personally. This shift transformed the project from a record of their past into a collaborative exploration of agency and creativity. Children experimented with light and perspective, discussed their images, and wrote captions to articulate meaning in their own words.
The project culminated in a community exhibition, where their photos and words were shared with staff, peers, and local stakeholders. Watching the children proudly present their work highlighted the power of treating young people not as subjects of intervention, but as creators and advocates.

Lessons Learned
One of my biggest takeaways was the importance of flexibility in cross-cultural work. My original proposal envisioned advocacy around street-connected children’s experiences. In practice, however, focusing on hardships risked reinforcing stigma rather than building confidence. With input from staff, I reframed the project to emphasize skill development and joy.
This adjustment underscored a deeper truth: cultural responsiveness cannot be performative, it must be lived. It requires pausing, observing, and letting local context shape decisions. The children did not need another reminder of their marginalization; they needed opportunities to explore, create, and be recognized for their talents.

Reflections and Outcomes
For the children, the outcomes were tangible: new technical skills, greater confidence in presenting their work, and practice in collaboration. For the staff at VOC, the project has highlighted different ways of engaging with the children outside of the traditional context. It has also given them guidance on what works and does not work in continuing different Photovoice related activities.

For me, Visible Voices reaffirmed why I am drawn to participatory, community-rooted approaches. Traditional global mental health models often prioritize safety and structure over agency. This project showed me that healing and empowerment can emerge through creativity and co-creation, not just clinical intervention.
Ultimately, Visible Voices was not about telling the children’s stories for them, but creating space for them to author their own narratives, stories of resilience, curiosity, and possibility.