Trust at the heart of ethical storytelling – how we share stories with integrity
Approx. 3 min read
By Antony Kahaya, Visual Content Manager at Ripple Effect
In international development, storytelling shapes how people and communities are understood. Ethical storytelling ensures that stories are shared with dignity, consent, and respect, recognising people as partners in change, not just recipients of support.
Behind every story, photograph, and quote we share, there is a person who trusted us with a piece of their life. That trust is the foundation of everything we do at Ripple Effect. It is earned through listening before recording, through transparency, and through a commitment to making our participants part of the storytelling process.
My name is Antony Kahaya, and I’m the Visual Content Manager here at Ripple Effect. As part of my work, I regularly travel deep into rural African communities, where I often meet two types of families. The first are families who are only just beginning their journeys out of poverty. The second are families who are already thriving, through their own determination and the small but impactful support we provide.
Telling stories with empathy and integrity
For families at the beginning of their journey, their struggles can be difficult to witness. Sharing these stories requires a careful balance between empathy and integrity, ensuring their realities are shown honestly without causing harm or exploitation.
For families who are thriving, their stories are full of hope, pride, and inspiration. These are the stories I especially love gathering. I get to see firsthand families who once worried about their next meal now eating nutritious food and selling surplus produce. I witness the joy of a mother watching her children walk to school for the first time, knowing she is offering them a future she once thought impossible.
These are the moments when I feel truly grounded in purpose.
Why trust matters in ethical storytelling
At the heart of all this work is trust. It’s something I carry with me every time I’m in the field.
For me, there are three levels of trust:
- Trust from the organisation
- Trust from the supporters who make this transformation possible
- And most importantly, trust from our participants
Our participants allow us to capture and share their struggles and triumphs. They trust us to tell their stories truthfully, respectfully, and only in the ways they have agreed.
How we honour that trust
We honour this trust through a strict informed consent policy and by collaborating closely with our participants. We ask them to fill a consent form, where they can decide how their pictures and quotes are used. Alongside this, we ensure full transparency by explaining what their consent to social media means, for example. Many of our participants don’t know what some of the digital channels are and how wide they reach. This ensures they feel seen, heard, and represented in the way they want to be.
At Ripple Effect, we are proud that every word and every smile we share with our supporters is proof of that commitment.
How you can support our work
The impactful stories of people transforming their lives don’t happen on their own – it’s thanks to your support that we can reach more people across rural Africa with our life-changing programmes.
There are various ways you can help us reach more people:
If these options aren’t quite right for you, you can discover the many other ways you can get involved.
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