AWIM/UNESCO Peace and Security Programme: Timely project comes to an end

This article offers an overview of the African Women in Media (AWiM) Peace and Security Journalism Programme in partnership with UNESCO, through the IPDC framework. As the programme comes to an end, many journalists are already asking AWiM when the next programme is going to be rolled out.

The programme started in May 2022 with an aim to enhance African female journalists’ capacity to report peace and security. It aimed to build the capacity of African women journalists to apply solutions journalism to reporting on women’s issues in peace and security. The project started by capacity training of selected journalists in solutions reporting of peace and security plus reporting gendered angles of peace and security. Five trainees were selected from the 100 trainees to be mentored as fellows for four months and develop content relevant to the training areas. The fellows were tasked with producing gendered angled stories on peace and security. The five journalists were from Nigeria, Zambia, Uganda and Kenya.

Three courses were developed to build the capacity of the selected journalists. One of them was Solutions Journalism Approaches to Peace and Security Reporting. The other was Reporting on the gendered aspects of peace and conflict. And third was engaging with policy mechanisms and policy actors/agencies in peace and security reporting. They took all the courses through AWiM Learning to deepen their understanding of global, continental and local policies around peace and security and their professional roles in reporting and promoting such policies.

In the first phase, the fellows selected were from Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda and Zambia.

Every month, each journalist would produce four in-depth feature stories. The fellows worked on their stories diligently throughout these months. They began the process by pitching their story ideas to AWiM editorial team and then embarked on the story production process once their pitches were approved. It is also remarkable that the fellows were able to meet all the monthly deadlines with unique stories on the gendered aspect of peace and security. While this was done, the selected five were also taken through a first mini-workshop by AWIM News editor through the ethical principles of media, codes of ethics, and how to bring the gender angles in reporting peace and security. They were also taken through how to source to ensure they engaged all the policy actors and relevant players. This was followed by a second mini-workshop on pitch revision. They were also taken through the pitch revision template and given the editorial checklist. Thereafter they review their pitches based on the guidance during the workshop. The fellows also had regular editorial meetings with the editor for both feedback and question-and-answer sessions.

Impact of the project

As the project ends, there are 100 journalists competent enough to report solutions stories focused on women in relation to Peace and Security in Africa.

There is a notable increase in reporting on the gendered aspect of peace and security through solutions lens in African media that the fellows are coming from and from those who were co-publishing through AWIM media partners in over 1o different countries.

All these help in closing the gender gap in content.

Here are some notable quotes from the beneficiaries of the programme: “I can see myself gaining a valuable career from this fellowship programme and I want to explore important topics on Women, Peace and Security. I aim to identify and bring out the best human interest stories about women, their safety and well-being in Zambia,” says Hope Nyimbi, the News Editor and Programmes Manager with Kokoliko FM Radio in Chingola.

“In the last few months, I must say that I have benefited a lot from this fellowship in a way that I have been able to represent the views of my fellow citizens globally, I have been able to benchmark alongside the works of my colleagues elsewhere in Africa inclusive of Kenya, Nigeria, among others. I have had the opportunity of growing my profession on strict international measures of quality and timeliness. I have enjoyed the privilege of earning $500 a month. I appreciate the enhanced personal and professional support from Janet Otieno, the AWiM News editor, working remotely and thus embracing and walking into the digital age in confidence,” says Patricia Namutebi.

“Being a beneficiary of Peace and Security Fellowship has opened me to know the place of women in ensuring a peaceful and secure society. It has opened me up to learning and being conscious of the security around me. “Taking care of women brings about a peaceful and secured society,” says Omowumi Bukola Olaseinde.

“I want to appreciate AWiM, UNESCO and the IPDC for this chance, I don’t take it for granted. I didn’t know anything to do with SOJO. The fellowship opened up my mind and make me look more professional in my day-to-day work. My stories address the peace and security challenges women and girls in Kenya face to ensure safe space becomes a fundamental right for everyone,” says Caroline Katana.

Just as Maimuma Muhammad concluded, “ in conflict situations, voices of women are repressed, this is why reporting gendered angles of peace and security is in itself a source of empowerment in defining how women are perceived in the society. This fellowship was necessary and timely.”