CFAs: Media Parity Capacity Building Programme

The Media Parity Capacity Building Programme is a partnership between CFI Media Development (CFI) and Gender Links, a Southern African women’s rights organisation.

The Media Parity programme will work with selected media outlets to build journalists capacity in gender inclusive reporting through workshops and mentorship, as well as professional development workshops and activities for safer, respectful and professional media workplaces. Small reporting grants will support journalists to produce stories in collaboration with the project team.

Costs Covered

• The project will cover travel, accommodation and catering costs when necessary.

Eligible Projects

• Key activities are the following:
  • Regional inception workshop: Management representatives from the 22 selected media outlets, organising team and capacity building facilitators will come together for a 2-day regional inception workshop. This inception workshop is intended to familiarise selected media outlets with the Media Parity Capacity Building Programme, agree shared commitment and vision for success, and better understand media outlet priorities and needs to inform designing activities.
  • National gender-sensitive journalism training & mentoring. Each media outlet will identify two journalists (one woman, one man) to participate in a country-based, 5-day training workshop & follow-up mentorship (Lesotho journalists will join the training in Botswana). The 5-day workshop, facilitated by Gender Links, will explore principles, knowledge and tools for gender-aware reporting, as well as proven journalistic approaches for unique gender perspectives and gender balance, including women’s representation as sources. Following the workshop, individual news/content production mentoring (online, over a period of up to 6 months) will support journalists to apply learning in published articles and broadcast reports. Journalists will produce at least 8 pieces of content, supported by the programme team.
  • Gender-focused professional development & safer workplaces: Working in collaboration with selected media outlets, the project team will deliver activities to advance inclusive, gender aware and safer media workplaces (including addressing sexual harassment). They envisage this to include workshops with 4 journalists (2 women, 2 men) from each media outlet focusing on professional and personal development, leadership, and actions for safer, professional workplaces, as well as media outlet Awareness Days.
  • Regional closing conference: The project will end with a closing conference bringing together stakeholders from the five partner countries to celebrate achievements, share experiences and contribute to cross-border networking.

Eligible Activities

• The following provides estimated planning information, final plans will be developed in consultation with selected media outlets and communicated when the project commences:
  • Regional conference
    • Who involved: Media outlet management representative (from 22 selected media outlets)
    • Where: Johannesburg, South Africa
    • When/Time frame: March 2025
    • Approx No. Days: 2-day conference
  • Gender-sensitive journalism workshop
    • Who involved: 2 journalists (1 woman & 1 man)
    • Where: National TBC
    • When/Time frame: April – May 2025
    • Approx No. Days: 5-day workshop
  • Gender journalism production & mentorship
    • Who involved: Same journalists as above
    • Where: National
    • When/Time frame: May – October 2025
    • Approx No. Days: 4 days each journalist ad hoc, over up to 6 months.
  • Professional development & safer, professional workplace initiatives
    • Who involved: 4 journalists (2 women & 2 men) for professional development workshops
    • Where: National & workplace
    • When/Time frame: May 2025 – December 2025
    • Approx No. Days: 4 days professional development
  • Regional closing conference
    • Who involved: Media outlet management representative (Participating journalists)
    • Where: Regional: TBC
    • When/Time frame: February 2026
    • Approx No. Days: 2 Days

Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible, media outlets must:
  • Be either a radio, television, print or online currently operating, in existence for at least 3 years.
  • Be located either in Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Lesotho or Zambia.
  • Have staff of at least 5 journalists.
  • Have a politically independent editorial line.
  • Be willing and committed to appoint a media manager representative & identify journalists to actively take part in project activities, including releasing them from normal duties to be able to fully participate in workshops, content production & mentorship coaching, and leadership & professional workplaces activities.
  • Be willing and committed to incorporating gender equality and gender perspectives in newsroom operations and news production, across reporting and editorial functions.

For more information, visit Gender Links.