Addressing Barriers to Health Services in West Africa: A Reporting Programme for Young Journalists

This new programme provides targeted, long-term support to young journalists and young civil society leaders to bring about real change in attitudes, practices and policies. Programme participants will have the opportunity to go through the following stages of the programme:

• Integration into the program through individual interviews with Foundation and/or Global Fund staff.
• Participation in the TRF innovative training in Dakar, Senegal, December 2-6, 2024.
• The opportunity to access direct one-on-one mentoring. For journalists, this will involve working directly with a Foundation mentor to develop and publish (or broadcast) an original piece of journalism. For CSOs, this will involve working directly with a Foundation mentor to pursue an agreed communications objective. Places in the mentoring program will be awarded through a competitive review process for proposals, which must focus on human rights and health services. Small grants will be awarded to successful applicants.
• The ability to access legal support. For journalists, legal assistance will be available through the Legal Network for Journalists at Risk (LNJAR) platform and the Legal Service for Independent Media (LSIM) through the TRF’s TrustLaw service. CSOs will be able to access support by registering with the Foundation’s TrustLaw network, the world’s largest pro-bono legal service. Through TrustLaw, the Foundation will help CSOs tap into the pro bono expertise of TrustLaw lawyers to meet their research and capacity-building needs.
• Participation in a network of young journalists and young activists. Alumni will have the opportunity to come together at key milestones during the two and a half years of the expanded programme (2024-2026). These opportunities will include alumni events and particularly significant days, such as World AIDS Day.
• Access to other support opportunities – whether this is further training, trust law support or one-to-one mentoring opportunities.

Expected Outcomes

• Through the initial training and subsequent engagement in the 2024-2025 programme, participants will strengthen their journalism and communications skills. Upon completion of the programme, participants are expected to have a better understanding of best practices, and increased confidence and motivation to report or communicate on human rights issues related to health services. Participants will also understand how to access legal support through the Foundation’s TrustLaw network.
• Journalists are expected to have acquired the tools and skills to report confidently and convincingly on human rights-related barriers to health services and why the issue matters. They will also be able to articulate solutions to overcome these barriers – particularly for marginalized and vulnerable groups – and gain a better understanding of the work undertaken by their counterparts in civil society organizations. Importantly, journalists will understand Reuters’ journalism principles, the importance of accuracy and fairness in reporting on the human rights of marginalized people, and how to engage meaningfully with members of civil society working in this area.
• The longer-term program will provide opportunities for alumni to engage in follow-up activities, including joint sessions to foster interaction between journalists and CSOs.

Cost Covered

• The following costs related to participation in the course will be covered by the Foundation and the Global Fund:
  • International and domestic flights (economy class)
  • Visa fees, if applicable
  • Accommodation for the duration of the course
  • Other local transportation to/from the internship location, including airport transfers
  • Meals and refreshments and/or a daily allowance to cover meals that are not provided during class hours.
  • The Foundation and the Global Fund will consider reimbursement of other reasonable expenses that participants may expect to incur in order to participate in the training. Expenses other than those listed above should be discussed and agreed with the Foundation prior to the start of the training.

Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible to participate in this program, journalists must:
  • Be full-time journalists or regular active contributors to a media publication or social media platform.
  • Work and publish (or distribute) in Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Tunisia.
  • Be able to demonstrate at least three years of professional experience, whether as a journalist for a media outlet, creating content for a social media platform or in another form of journalistic activity.
  • Have experience in reporting on human rights and/or public health issues, or be able to demonstrate an interest in this type of reporting.
  • Be 30 years of age or younger at the time of application.
  • Be able to publish an original journalistic article on the theme of human rights and access to health services.
  • Have a good command of French.
  • A working knowledge of English is desirable to communicate with English-speaking media networks and fiduciary law.
  • Hold a valid passport and be able to travel to Dakar, Senegal on the course dates indicated.

For more information, visit Thompson Reuters Foundation.