Digital Storytelling has Potential within Global Health Research

Last year, Mama na Mtoto launched a Digital Storytelling pilot to study how Digital Storytelling could be an effective research and dissemination tool in a global health context. Between April and August, intern Natasha Hoehn, who was finishing her Masters in Bioanthropology at the time, worked with staff from the Mama na Mtoto Field Office, including Tumsifu Matutu, our Community Engagement Project Coordinator, to create digital stories based on their personal experiences regarding maternal, child and reproductive health.

What is Digital Storytelling?

Digital Storytelling (DS) is the telling of a story through blending oral tradition with digital aids such as voiceovers, images, music and visual effects. “It explores lived experiences through a video creation process,” says Hoehn. Stories are typically 2-3 minutes long and narrated in first person.