Food insecurity and hunger, which are on the rise in affluent Western countries, may negatively a... more Food insecurity and hunger, which are on the rise in affluent Western countries, may negatively affect children's physical, social, emotional and cognitive functioning. Although there is growing evidence of the high rate of food insecurity and hunger among Bedouin families and their children in Israel, little is known about how the children themselves experience the problem and how it impacts their life. The present study sought to explore and clarify children's experience of food insecurity. The research population included forty-two Israeli Bedouin impoverished children, aged nine to eleven. The analysis of children's drawing was chosen as the research instrument because it enabled psychological as well as phenomenological insight into the children's experience of food insecurity. This study, however, goes beyond the use of art to assess chil-dren's emotional state, because enabling the children to draw food insecurity gave them a strong and communicative public voice of their own. After the study had been completed, the drawings also proved useful in efforts to promote awareness about the personal, community, cultural and social dimensions of the problem and the need for community action and policy change to mitigate and eliminate it.
Use of the arts in international aid is common in an ad hoc form, but it has not been systematica... more Use of the arts in international aid is common in an ad hoc form, but it has not been systematically theorised or evaluated. The arts have the potential to be a culturally contextualised and sustainable intervention for adults and children in the aftermath of war or disaster. On the micro level, the arts are a method to enable the retrieval and reprocessing of traumatic memories that are often encoded in images rather than in words. On a macro level, they can help to reconstruct a group narrative of a disaster as well as mobilise people back into control of their lives. This paper researches a long-term project using arts in Sri Lanka following the civil war and tsunami. A central finding is the need to understand arts within their cultural context, and their usefulness in strengthening the voices and problem-solving capacities of the victims of the disaster.
The social work profession is committed to the promotion of peace and social justice. It is often... more The social work profession is committed to the promotion of peace and social justice. It is often assumed that peacetime enables diverting resources and attention to the promotion of disadvantaged groups. However, little is known about the mechanisms. This study of the Israeli experience following the Oslo Peace Accords suggests that one potential mechanism is the development of social change organizations (SCOs) in the wake of peace. Findings indicate growth in SCO establishment in the periphery and small towns, in vulnerable groups, and in the Israeli Palestinian (Arab) citizen minority group. Implications for social work are suggested.
Background: Twenty-two percent of households in Israel
experience food insecurity, and it is espe... more Background: Twenty-two percent of households in Israel experience food insecurity, and it is especially widespread in socio-economically distressed strata. Although their low socio-economic status renders psychiatric patients at risk for food insecurity, this issue has thus far been ignored in both practice and research. Objective: To explore food insecurity among psychiatric patients in comparison with welfare-services clients in order to raise awareness of food insecurity in this population. Method: 114 respondents were recruited from among patients admitted to the emergency room and hospitalized in a mental health center in Beer Sheva; 555 respondents were recruited from among low-income clients of welfare service agencies in the Beer Sheva area. All respondents were surveyed with a self-report questionnaire and with the Food Security Core Survey Module (FSCSM). Results: Forty percent of psychiatric patients and 59% of welfare-services clients reported food insecurity. The use of formal and informal support systems was lower among food-insecure psychiatric patients than among food-insecure welfare clients. Conclusions: Psychiatric patients appear to be a risk population for food insecurity; therefore planned interventions and specific food programs are called for.
Food insecurity and hunger, which are on the rise in affluent Western countries, may negatively a... more Food insecurity and hunger, which are on the rise in affluent Western countries, may negatively affect children's physical, social, emotional and cognitive functioning. Although there is growing evidence of the high rate of food insecurity and hunger among Bedouin families and their children in Israel, little is known about how the children themselves experience the problem and how it impacts their life. The present study sought to explore and clarify children's experience of food insecurity. The research population included forty-two Israeli Bedouin impoverished children, aged nine to eleven. The analysis of children's drawing was chosen as the research instrument because it enabled psychological as well as phenomenological insight into the children's experience of food insecurity. This study, however, goes beyond the use of art to assess chil-dren's emotional state, because enabling the children to draw food insecurity gave them a strong and communicative public voice of their own. After the study had been completed, the drawings also proved useful in efforts to promote awareness about the personal, community, cultural and social dimensions of the problem and the need for community action and policy change to mitigate and eliminate it.
Use of the arts in international aid is common in an ad hoc form, but it has not been systematica... more Use of the arts in international aid is common in an ad hoc form, but it has not been systematically theorised or evaluated. The arts have the potential to be a culturally contextualised and sustainable intervention for adults and children in the aftermath of war or disaster. On the micro level, the arts are a method to enable the retrieval and reprocessing of traumatic memories that are often encoded in images rather than in words. On a macro level, they can help to reconstruct a group narrative of a disaster as well as mobilise people back into control of their lives. This paper researches a long-term project using arts in Sri Lanka following the civil war and tsunami. A central finding is the need to understand arts within their cultural context, and their usefulness in strengthening the voices and problem-solving capacities of the victims of the disaster.
The social work profession is committed to the promotion of peace and social justice. It is often... more The social work profession is committed to the promotion of peace and social justice. It is often assumed that peacetime enables diverting resources and attention to the promotion of disadvantaged groups. However, little is known about the mechanisms. This study of the Israeli experience following the Oslo Peace Accords suggests that one potential mechanism is the development of social change organizations (SCOs) in the wake of peace. Findings indicate growth in SCO establishment in the periphery and small towns, in vulnerable groups, and in the Israeli Palestinian (Arab) citizen minority group. Implications for social work are suggested.
Background: Twenty-two percent of households in Israel
experience food insecurity, and it is espe... more Background: Twenty-two percent of households in Israel experience food insecurity, and it is especially widespread in socio-economically distressed strata. Although their low socio-economic status renders psychiatric patients at risk for food insecurity, this issue has thus far been ignored in both practice and research. Objective: To explore food insecurity among psychiatric patients in comparison with welfare-services clients in order to raise awareness of food insecurity in this population. Method: 114 respondents were recruited from among patients admitted to the emergency room and hospitalized in a mental health center in Beer Sheva; 555 respondents were recruited from among low-income clients of welfare service agencies in the Beer Sheva area. All respondents were surveyed with a self-report questionnaire and with the Food Security Core Survey Module (FSCSM). Results: Forty percent of psychiatric patients and 59% of welfare-services clients reported food insecurity. The use of formal and informal support systems was lower among food-insecure psychiatric patients than among food-insecure welfare clients. Conclusions: Psychiatric patients appear to be a risk population for food insecurity; therefore planned interventions and specific food programs are called for.
This article discusses the advantages of arts-based research specifically for high-context, cultu... more This article discusses the advantages of arts-based research specifically for high-context, culturally diverse, power-infused, and chaotic or diffuse research settings as often found in international aid. It points to the ability of arts to concretize abstract concepts and to situate them within specific socio-cultural locations, enabling powerless groups to self-define and to adjust resilience-enhancing interventions to their own perceptions. The arts-based method as an indirect form of communication is shown to be effective in changing stands of power holders and experts, enabling a dialogue that creates culturally sustainable aid. The model used in this article is demonstrated and discussed.
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Papers by roni kaufman
experience food insecurity, and it is especially widespread
in socio-economically distressed strata. Although their
low socio-economic status renders psychiatric patients
at risk for food insecurity, this issue has thus far been
ignored in both practice and research.
Objective: To explore food insecurity among psychiatric
patients in comparison with welfare-services clients in order
to raise awareness of food insecurity in this population.
Method: 114 respondents were recruited from among
patients admitted to the emergency room and hospitalized
in a mental health center in Beer Sheva; 555 respondents
were recruited from among low-income clients of welfare
service agencies in the Beer Sheva area. All respondents
were surveyed with a self-report questionnaire and with
the Food Security Core Survey Module (FSCSM).
Results: Forty percent of psychiatric patients and 59%
of welfare-services clients reported food insecurity. The
use of formal and informal support systems was lower
among food-insecure psychiatric patients than among
food-insecure welfare clients.
Conclusions: Psychiatric patients appear to be a risk
population for food insecurity; therefore planned
interventions and specific food programs are called for.
experience food insecurity, and it is especially widespread
in socio-economically distressed strata. Although their
low socio-economic status renders psychiatric patients
at risk for food insecurity, this issue has thus far been
ignored in both practice and research.
Objective: To explore food insecurity among psychiatric
patients in comparison with welfare-services clients in order
to raise awareness of food insecurity in this population.
Method: 114 respondents were recruited from among
patients admitted to the emergency room and hospitalized
in a mental health center in Beer Sheva; 555 respondents
were recruited from among low-income clients of welfare
service agencies in the Beer Sheva area. All respondents
were surveyed with a self-report questionnaire and with
the Food Security Core Survey Module (FSCSM).
Results: Forty percent of psychiatric patients and 59%
of welfare-services clients reported food insecurity. The
use of formal and informal support systems was lower
among food-insecure psychiatric patients than among
food-insecure welfare clients.
Conclusions: Psychiatric patients appear to be a risk
population for food insecurity; therefore planned
interventions and specific food programs are called for.