Body mapping in health RRA/PRA

Maps and models have been used in PRA/RRA to locate features of ecological and social environments, as a guide to people’s perceptions of the spaces in which they live and work and as a shared source of reference for interviews and discussions. In this article the author shares her experiences of working with women in a rural area of southern Zimbabwe maps of the body were used to share their versions of anatomy and physiology.

Body mapping enables people to provide their versions of processes and structures, and to reflect on and articulate their concerns. Their own knowledge can form the basis for active engagement in securing the information that both users of services and health workers, as providers, require for effective health care extension.