ANTON

Last month in Arusha, TFFT organized a workshop for 25 journalists who represent various nationwide media companies. The goal of the workshop was to engage the media in advocating for the issues of Orphans & Vulnerable Children (OVC) and child rights in Tanzania. TFFT convened these media representatives to enhance community awareness and to increase participation in addressing issues relating to OVC.

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Five radio stations, three television stations, and twelve newspapers were present for the workshop. We provided these journalists with an in-depth look at the situation of OVC in Tanzania. According to UNICEF, there are nearly 2 million Orphans in Tanzania. In addition to this, the numbers of unsupported OVC are nearly twice as likely to drop out of school than non-orphans. The facilitator of the workshop also shared in detail about general child rights according to the UN charter, of which Tanzania has signed and also according to the constitution of The United Republic of Tanzania.

A current challenge is community members’ perception that OVC are the problem. We urged the media to use their voices to change this perception. One of our goals of the workshop was to teach these journalists to inspire communities to have the desire to adress the challenges OVC face.

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We taught the journalists that OVC issues should be presented in a way that influence and inspires the community to participate and help solve the problems facing OVC. For example, we instructed the journalists to encourage entrepreneurship activities so that in the event of a child’s parent(s) passing, the child will still have the ability to gain the necessary support and means to live a successful life.

All in all, the workshop was very interactive and involved empowering group discussion in which the participants had the opportunity to share their own opinions, ideas and questions. Most of the journalists that spoke expressed their gratitude for the workshop, as it had opened their minds to the issues among OVC and Child Rights, and led them to feel more confident to advocate for these issues in their publications, news, reports, and/or articles.

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The workshop was reported on over 13 blogs and online news sites across Tanzania. The participants all agreed that the issue of OVC is a pressing one, and that this workshop has pushed them to make the issues OVC face a key priority in upcoming nation-wide media campaigns and networks.

A special thank you to the participants: Triple A FM (Anthony Masai), Radio 5 (David Rwenyangira), Ideo Radio (Daniel Lucas), Mambo Jambo FM (Rotlinde Achimpota), and Habari Maalum Media (Daniel Magulu and Edith Laizer), Star TV (Magesa Magesa), Channel Ten (Jamilla Omar), and Clouds TV (Beatrice Gerald), Majira (Queen Lema), Nipashe (John Bosco Ngunge), Mwananchi (Peter Saramba), Habari Leo (Veronica Mheta), Jambo Leo (Rose Kitosio), Mtanzania (Eliya Mbonea), Uhuru (Lilian Joel), Upendo (Jetrula Bernard), Arusha Times (Happy Lazaro and Wankyo Gati)), Tanzania Daima (David Frank), The African (Mary Mwita), The Guardian (Cynthia Mwilolezi), and lastly, the Jamii Blog (Pamela Mollel and Woinde Shiza).

Here are the links to the blog posts that resulted from the workshop (apologies to our English readers… they are all in Swahili!):

  1. https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/michuzi-1158184/wanahabari-wahimizwa-kuwasilisha-masuala-4129187637
  2. http://eliabu.blogspot.com/2015/01/wanahabari-wahimizwa-kuwasilisha.html?utm_content=buffercc014&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
  3. http://issamichuzi.blogspot.com/2015/01/wanahabari-wahimizwa-kuwasilisha.html
  4. http://www.africanewshub.com/news/2571867-wanahabari-wahimizwa-kuwasilisha-masuala-yahusuyo-watoto-yatima-na-waishio-katika-mazingira-magumu
  5. http://georgem.co.tz/showthread.php/35642-WANAHABARI-WAHIMIZWA-KUWASILISHA-MASUALA-YAHUSUYO-WATOTO-YATIMA-NA-WAISHIO-KATIKA-MAZINGIRA-MAGUMU
  6. https://plus.googleapis.com/+GadiolaEmanuel/posts/JMC9qJuhMGe
  7. http://wazalendo25.blogspot.com/2015/01/habari-na-matukio-wanahabari-wahimizwa.html
  8. http://www.fullshangweblog.com/2015/01/23/wanahabari-wahimizwa-kuwasilisha-masuala-yahusuyo-watoto-yatima-na-waishio-katika-mazingira-magumu/
  9. http://jamiiblog.co.tz/2015/01/23/wanahabari-wahimizwa-kuwasilisha-masuala-yahusuyo-watoto-yatima-na-waishio-katika-mazingira-magumu/
  10. http://www.tanzaniatoday.co.tz/news/wanahabari-wahimizwa-kuwasilisha-masuala-yahusuyo-watoto-yatima-na-waishio-katika-mazingira-magumu
  11. http://eaglentertainment.blogspot.com/2015/01/wanahabari-wahimizwa-kuwasilisha.html
  12. http://www.mtemizombwe.com/2015/01/wanahabari-wahimizwa-kuwasilisha-masuala-yahusuyo-watoto-yatima-na-waishio-katika-mazingira-magumu/
  13. https://www.facebook.com/elimtaamedia/posts/1550676238537090

Asante to all!

2015-02-13T15:21:40+00:00