Go ye and write health, agriculture stories

Joy, excitement and expectation characterised the close of a three-day community journalism training Nsanje-based Tiphedzane Community Support Organisation (Ticoso) organised for its 16 reflection action circle (RAC) facilitators in the district.

“When I return home, I will straight away go to our traditional authority to inform him that I have now come of age.

“I will tell him that I am now empowered and equipped to write credible stories about health and agriculture,” said outspoken community journalism trainee Christopher Thom, sending fellow scribes in a fit of laughter.

Ticoso in partnership with ActionAid Malawi, National Smallholder Association of Malawi, Malawi Health Equity Network and Nation Publications Limited (NPL) held the training in Nchalo, Chikwawa.

The training, whose aim was to equip the RAC facilitators with journalism skills, was conducted through the Partnership for Social Accountability (PSA) Project.

Another trainee Mafulesi Peter waxed lyrical for the initiative and the PSA Project.

She said: “I am lost for words. This is an excellent initiative. If it had come yesterday, community development would have been facilitated.

“A lot happened in our communities, but people did not have space to amplify their voices. As a result, many things—bad and good—went unreported.

“But with this training, I have no doubts that the citizen voices will be strengthened and duty-bearers will be held accountable for their actions and inaction.”

She pledged to play a watchdog role and entrench social accountability in her community.

Nsanje District Commission Medson Matchaya called on the journalists to help entrench the culture of accountability in the district.

He said: “When duty-bearers abuse funds, write about it. When they do well, you should also write.

“Do not only concentrate on negative, but also positive stories happening in communities.”

NPL trainer Bright Kumwenda said the RAC facilitators are expected to write health and agriculture stories for NPL newspapers.

He said the journalists have been taken through news values, media law and ethics.

Kumwenda said: “We hope we have managed to impart basic and functional skills in photo-journalism, mobile journalism, solution journalism, newsgathering and writing.

“We know putting together a coherent story takes time and as such, drilling will continue as they write stories for our newspapers.”

Ticoso executive director Mike Dansa urged the scribes to give it their best.

“I urge you to work hard so that this initiative succeeds,” he said.

Ticoso is implementing the PSA project in the areas of T/As Mlolo, Malemia, Ngabu and Mbenje in Nsanje District.

At the end of the training, ActionAid Malawi PSA Project manager Wales Chigwenembe dismissed the meeting with a call to the journalists “to go and do what they learnt”.

This is the second training NPL has facilitated through the PSA project which seeks to strengthen social accountability and gender responsiveness in public resource management in health and agriculture.

The first training was conducted in Mchinji from August 23 to 25 2022 and it brought together another 16 RAC facilitators and Coalition of Women Farmers (Cowfa) members from traditional authorities Mkanda, Mduwa and Zulu in the district. n

The story was done by the community journalists as part of their practical training