As we’ve been sharing Stories of Dignity in the past weeks we have been talking behind the scenes about what it looks like to share other peoples lives with you. While The Santiago Partnership is not new to this work, our recent work training our new employee made us wonder if those of you who support the ministry have ever been curious about how we determine what we share and how we tangibly respect the privacy and dignity of those we serve. We thought we’d take a moment today to share a glimpse into how we do that.
First and foremost, if you see a picture or read a story it is because we have permission to do so! The stories and photos we share have always and will always be ones we have sought and received explicit permission to share publicly.
Even with that permission, we do everything we can to honor the dignity and privacy of those we serve, so we take it a couple of steps further!
When you read Jose’s story, you are reading his own words (translated from Spanish to English and edited for clarity only), but you don’t know Jose’s “real” name. We change any names so that there is an added layer of protection for peoples’ stories and their families.
Finally, out of an abundance of caution, we often don’t share pictures of the actual person or people involved. If we do share their actual picture, it might be one in which their identity is unclear. In the rare case we are sharing their actual photos, say in a story in which there is no abuse or violence involved in the story, their names and identifying details have been altered.
Speaking of photos, you may notice that while we share pictures of the beautiful children and families of Ecuador, many of whom are people we’ve had the opportunity to partner with, you will not ever see, online or even in correspondence, photos of the children in the Home. These children, not only are legally protected by their Ecuadorian government, but also deserve our absolute confidentiality as they are going through the most vulnerable time in their lives. It is our job to protect their identity and their stories and their job, as they grow and hopefully return to their families, to determine when or if they share any part of their stories.
While it is our goal to share the needs here in Ecuador with you it is of equal importance to us to protect the privacy of those we have the privilege to do life with here.
If you have any further questions or comments about the ways we respect the stories, we would love to hear from you. As always, feel free to reach out and let’s have a conversation!
