I on Africa
Revolutionized Health Reporting
By Robtel Neajai Pailey
WI Assistant Editor
Thursday, May 11, 2006

Veteran journalist Otula Owuor had always wanted to convince novice writers of the importance of health reporting in his native Kenya. In fact, he deemed it a social responsibility.

Described as the father of science journalism in Africa, Owuor and his colleagues in southern and western Africa have been able to do just. Recently they held a panel discussion on the impact of theirMaisha Yetu project, which was launched in 2002 to improve the quality and quantity of health coverage in African media outlets.

“Media can help people get access to services that they otherwise wouldn’t have,” said Owuor to an American audience recently in Washington, D.C. He was here along with two other Maisha Yetu trainers to talk about how the project has revolutionized the formerly abysmal state of health reporting in their countries.

Maisha Yetu—which means “our lives” in Swahili—was established with a $1.5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation specifically for reporting on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Stressing the importance of these areas, Owuor said that the big three are the mother of all diseases on the continent. He added, “If you can solve HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria, then the other health problems are a walk in the park.”

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According to UNAIDS, more than three million people across the globe died of AIDS in 2005 with over 75 percent of these deaths occurring in Africa. With HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria cases skyrocketing on the continent of Africa, African health reporters on the ground are now using their skills as storytellers to bring human stories to light.

Whereas health reporting resources are stretched thin—with reporters relying primarily on statistics by international bodies such as the World Health Organization (WHO)—Maisha Yetu trained journalists are now interviewing government officials and policy makers about major health care needs. Access alone has opened up the floodgates to other health related issues such as bisexuality, the availability of anti-retroviral drugs to HIV-positive people, the effects of organ transplants, and environmentally induced diseases such as bilharzia—a disease caused by parasitic worms found in rivers, lakes and streams.

The International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) based in Washington, D.C. agreed with Owuor’s belief that African journalists could help remedy the problems. That’s why the organization used the Gates Foundation grant to create “centers of excellence” in Botswana, Kenya and Senegal to serve as models for training journalists in health reporting. The “centers of excellence” were tasked with establishing a foundation for other media houses beyond the lifespan of the Maisha Yetu project. Since the inception of the project, the IWMF has documented nearly 300 newspaper, radio and television clips generated by African journalists involved with the project.

For each center, the IWMF and its partner, the African Women’s Media Center (AWMC), provided a local trainer who worked with a designated on-site liaison in each media house.

Owuor is the local trainer in Kenya. A media consultant and science writer and editor based in Nairobi, he was previously an editor and writer for the African Biotechnology Stakeholders Forum, where he helped to launch ABSF’s website. Under his leadership, over five journalists have committed to doing just health reporting in Kenya.

A local trainer in Botswana, Beata Kasale is the publisher and co-owner of The Voice newspaper and has more than 20 years of experience as a journalist. With her guidance, women journalists in Botswana have begun to pioneer health coverage. Because of Maisha Yetu, a daily health show is broadcast on a state-owned radio station in Botswana. Kasale said that journalists trained with the Maisha Yetu formula have an added edge because they’re taking traditional reporting to the streets. One of Kasale’s trainees went through the process of testing and counseling for HIV/AIDS, serving as an eye-witness account.

Tidiane Kasse, a local trainer based in Senegal, is also thrilled about the increased availability of health coverage on the radio, one of the most accessible sources of news in his country. He has facilitated the collaboration between radio and print news, and noticed that local languages such as Wolof are being employed to educate people about health issues. Since 2002, Kasse has worked with various agencies to increase awareness of HIV/AIDS.

Encouraged by the surge in health reporting that is both compelling and service-oriented, Owuor said, “We like to believe that we’ve made a difference. The editorials prove so.”