By Florence Dzame, Internews in Kenya
Seven Internews in Kenya alumni triumphed at the fourth Children's Rights Media Awards.
Internews fellow Irene Choge was a second time winner scooping the top prize in the Environment category for her incisive piece: Toilets and grades. The story explores how lack of toilets in schools affects student attendance and performance.
“I would not have done the story if it was not for an Internews travel grant that allowed me to spend days in Kilifi and work on the piece,” says Choge, a journalist with NTV.
Nation‘s Joy Wanja and KBC’s Marie Yambo were the other alumni who scooped awards.
A Japanese proverb says better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher. For Marie, Internews, which she says, has made the greatest impact in her journalism career is the great teacher.
Having recently completed a three-month fellowship on documentary production at Internews, Yambo is already basking in the glory of being a multi-award winner. In August she won the best story in the Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision category of Storyfest, an award that celebrates good storytelling in health journalism.
By clinching the Human Interest Award category with the story Aplastic anaemia and skin disease she became the first journalist from the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) to win the children’s award. “I did not expect to win but I am very, very happy,” says Marie. “I feel that I have grown as a journalist because finally my work is being recognized.”
Third time winner of the awards Joy Wanja, who also won the print category in Storyfest, conquered the Children’s Health Award. Her outstanding piece: Guess how old I am is a story of a young boy trapped in a child’s body.
An outstanding alumni Citizen’s Franklin Macharia and cameran Nelson Muraya scooped the Most Interactive Award. He was last year’s overall winner.
Other winners of the award organized by Bubble Nest International include: Nation’s Joyce Mbogho Mkwawasi who won the overall prize, Nation’s Samora Mwaura who was awarded the features category, and Media Diversity Centre’s Jane Godia and Mwanji Ndirangu who scooped the Courage against Adversity award. Joe Ombuor triumphed in the Most Educative Award and Editorial cartoonist Eric Jacob Ngamau (Gammz) topped the Children Photography Award.
Citizen journalist Chris Raburu and Brian Mutua scooped the Children and IT Awards while their colleague Sally Mbilu and Mathege Goko won the News Article Award. Last year’s overall winner Citizen’s Franklin Macharia and Nelson Muraya scooped the Most Interactive Award.
