Peer support groups as a participatory development principle
This paper reimagines peer support groups by centring a community’s worldviews. We engage with Iliso Lamakhosikazi, a women’s peer support group in South Africa, through an eight-week qualitative study embedded within nearly a decade of collaborative research. This study, using participatory observations, interviews, and focus groups, reveals how Iliso Lamakhosikazi reimagines peer support groups in terms of sociality, focus, and operational structure. The findings show that embedding development efforts within community worldviews can emphasise collective well-being, enhance relationality, and support broader health and wellness goals. Future efforts should apply empowered participation to reimagine other participatory development principles, such as community gardens and mutual aid groups, grounded in a community’s ways of knowing.
Authors
- Richard Handler (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8742-9533)
- Marie Curry
- Alison Swartz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4021-9838)
- Lauren Taylor (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8883-3370)
- Jillian Randolph (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0370-069X)
- Rupa S. Valdez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5125-0793)
- Christopher J. Colvin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8930-7863)
- Noor Sharif (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8638-8592)
- David Edmunds
- Mandla Majola
- Nanki Kaur (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4878-812X)
- Iliso Lamakhosikazi
- Monwa Magoqi
Institutions
- University of Cape Town (ZA)
- St George's, University of London (GB)
- University of California System (US)
- South African Heart Association (ZA)
- University of Virginia (US)
- The Ohio State University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Development in Practice
- Published
- 2025-04-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1080/09614524.2025.2489567
- Primary Topic
- Mental Health and Patient Involvement
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00