By
Albert Futukpor, GNA
Tamale, Dec. 10, GNA
– Community journalists working under the Empowerment for Life (E4L) Programme
in the Northern Region have been commended for helping to bring to the fore
concerns of their communities.
Mr Abdul-Jabaru
Mohammed, Programme Manager of E4L Programme, said their exploits has helped to
address some of the critical needs of the people in the communities.
He was speaking at a
meeting organised for the Community Journalists by the E4L Programme in Tamale
to learn about their experiences and how they would continue to work as
volunteers under the next phase of the programme.
The E4L Programme is
being implemented by Ghana Developing Communities Association (GDCA), and Youth
Empowerment for Life (YEfL) with technical support and funding from Ghana
Venskab (GV) in Denmark and DANIDA.
The overall goal of
the programme is to strengthen community groups and organizations to facilitate
social, political and economic development processes and ensure that the rights
of people are upheld.
Under the programme,
29 young persons from deprived communities in the region were trained as
community journalists and attached to radio stations where they filed stories
and hosted weekly radio programmes on the development concerns of their communities
to draw the attention of duty-bearers to address them.
They also used
social media to amplify community voices on same concerns while encouraging the
communities to take advantage of development opportunities by non-profit
organisations and government to better their lot.
The community
journalists, drawn from various districts including Kumbungu, Savelugu, Nanton,
Mion, Karaga and Saboba, were transitioned into the E4L Programme from the
Youth Speak Up project when the funding phase of the latter ended.
Their transition was
as result of the remarkable achievements recorded under the Youth Speak
project.
Having been on the
Youth Speak Up project and E4L Programme for the past four years, the community
journalists had had their confidence level improved, gained experience to speak
in public as well championed community issues.
Their work had
brought changes to their communities in the areas of education, sanitation and
community infrastructure.
However, the YEfL
and GDCA will be engaging a new set of community journalists for the next phase
of the programme from March, next year, hence the meeting with the current crop
of community journalists to share their experiences and how to continue to work
as volunteers in their communities.
Mr Mohammed said the
community journalists have been effective in their work, which is helping to
bring relief to deprived communities in the region.
He assured them that
the programme would rely on them as mentors and resource persons to coach the
new community journalists to be engaged for the next phase of the programme to
lead the development process in their communities.
Alhaji Alhassan
Seidu Kayaba, Deputy Manager of Zaa FM, a Tamale-based radio station, which was
one of the radio stations the community journalists were attached to, expressed
the readiness of the media outlet to continue to share opportunities with the
community journalists in the area to complement its work to promote
development.
Miss Kayil Helen
Udanbila, one of the community journalists, said the opportunity has given them
the needed exposure and gave the assurance that she would continue to work to
shed light on the challenges and opportunities in her community.
GNA
