Malawi Journalists Trained on Sexual Reproductive Health Reporting

Malawi-Journalists in Malawi have been equipped with knowledge and skills to effectively report on issues of sexual reproductive health rights (SRHR) under the "In Real Life" project, aimed at increasing access to SRHR information and services, writes Comfort Bulangete.

During a three-day training that took place at the Community Forum Organisation Head Office in Chikwawa from March 8 to March 10, 2023, journalists from various media houses, including community radio reporters in Chikwawa, were in attendance.

Joshua Malunga, Executive Director for CoFo, spoke to the press and emphasized the media's role in advocating and highlighting issues related to SRHR policy.

"Engaging the media in communicating about SRHR is one of the interventions that our organization is doing, and our target is the young journalists that are below the age of 30 so that as they are growing up in their careers they have proper experience and competency and also proper understanding on SRHR," Malunga added.

Patrick Chris's Baluwa, District Youth Friendly Healthy Services Coordinator for Chikwawa, emphasized the importance of the proper flow of information from top to bottom, citing the reason journalists have to be well-versed with SRHR issues.

Baluwa said journalists can come up with articles, TV programs, and radio phone-in programs about SRHR issues, and the youths will learn about these issues through that process.

Leah Malimbasa, District Information Officer for Chikwawa, said the training covered the basics of SRHR reporting in many areas, including sexual and reproductive health, hence improving the journalists' overall understanding of SRHR.

"The role of journalists when reporting on SRHR is to demand accountability from policymakers and other stakeholders so that only facts about SRHR are spread among the youths through the media," Malimbasa added.

McNeill Shire, the District Youth Officer for Chikwawa, said there is a need for continued public awareness to make reproductive health services more viable among the youth.

He said this can help improve relevant information, which can easily, effectively, and positively influence policymakers to come up with better reproductive health strategies that are youth-friendly.

Charles Nyakamera, one of the journalists who attended the training from Nyanthepa Community Radio Station, said before the training he did not know anything about SRHR, citing that now he is never the same.

"As I am going back, I will tell my fellow reporters to report and make more programs on SRHR so that the community will know facts about SRHR," Nyakamera added.

The training was organized by the Community Forum Organization under the "In Real Life" project, and journalists from several media houses in Chikwawa participated in the training.

Some of the media houses that took part in the training included Shire Valley Online, The AfricaBrief, Nyanthepa Community Radio Station, Nyungwe FM, Chibvomelezi FM, Malawi News Agency, and Impulse TV.