APPLY NOW! Speak Up Africa Sanitation Media Fellowship

Deadline: October 31, 2019

 

 

About Speak Up Africa

Headquartered in Dakar, Senegal, Speak Up Africa is a strategic communications and advocacy organization dedicated to catalysing leadership, enabling policy change, and increasing awareness for sustainable development in Africa – particularly around issues such as Sanitation, immunisation, Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases.

 

About the Sanitation Media Fellowship Award

Sanitation is a key focus area for Speak Up Africa. Today, about 4.5 billion people—more than half the world’s population—use sanitation facilities and services where the disposal of waste is not safely managed. This is a particular problem in Africa, where access to basic sanitation is below 50%.

When waste is not safely contained it escapes into the environment polluting the places that people live, work, and play. It makes people sick, harming the human and economic potential of entire communities and even nations.

 Through launching this Fellowship Award, we aim to build capacity among journalists and increase reporting on sanitation issues across Africa. The award offers an opportunity for journalists from anywhere in Africa to learn from leading experts on the key challenges and opportunities Africa faces when it comes to improving sanitation.

We believe that no one should be left behind – everyone, at all levels of society, deserves access to safely managed sanitation and clean drinking water.

 

Media Fellowship Details

For a duration of one year, we will support selected fellows with projects and developing features relating to the importance of improving sanitation access and facilities.

We will provide technical and financial assistance to each of the selected fellows, to help them conduct and publish a research project which meets the fellowship objectives of promoting the need for improved sanitation and awareness of related issues.

The projects could take the form of, for example:

  • Setting up local campaigns to empower the local community in calling for access to better sanitation facilities
  • Engaging local government / stakeholders for improved sanitation facilities
  • Working with universities to reporting on any new / innovative tools being developed to tackle sanitation challenges
  • Projects to raise awareness among local people of the health risks of poor sanitation and symptoms of related diseases

 

As part of the initiative, we will facilitate interviews with and make introductions to relevant local and national organisations and stakeholder groups.

 

Training workshop

The fellowship will also include a workshop at the AfWA International Congress 7 Exhibition, taking place in Kampala, Uganda 24th – 27th February 2020. If you are selected, you will be hosted for three of these days where you will be offered media access to the Congress to attend talks, meet key actors in the WASH sector and gather information about key WASH initiatives.

One of these three days will be devoted to an orientation workshop on the side lines of the Congress. The workshop will be designed to build the reporting capacity of the selected journalists on sanitation topics in Africa and share key initiatives from all member organisations of the working group.

This will include:

  • Introductions to key organisations in the WASH sector
  • Presentations to provide insight on the key challenges to improving sanitation in Africa and important initiatives tackling these challenges
  • Session with expert journalist / media trainer on developing impactful stories on sanitation issues.

 

 Who Should Apply and Application Deadline

If you are a journalist from Africa with a passion for improving health and a hunger to learn more about sanitation issues and the difference you can make in your country and/or region, we would love to hear from you.

The deadline for applications is October 31st 2019. All completed application forms should be sent by email to sustainablesanitation@speakupafrica.org. Any questions about the award should be sent to the same email address. Selected fellows will be notified in December 2019.

 

Terms and Conditions

  • Selected participants will be required to attend the orientation workshop in Uganda, during the 20th AfWA International Congress & Exhibition, which takes place 24th – 27th February 2020.
  • Selected fellows must publish a piece around the AfWA International Congress & Exhibition Congress’ outcomes.
  • The fellowship will cover all reasonable subsistence costs, accommodation and travel from the journalist’s closest airport, for the workshop in Uganda .
  • A commitment of four published/aired features will be required within a year of the fellowship (by end of 2020) promoting the importance of improving sanitation facilities and access to them. Employers/editors will be required to provide consent to support this commitment.
  • A minimum of 5 and a maximum of 10 journalists will be selected for the fellowship.

 

APPLY HERE