Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Coverage of social justice issues affecting girls in Rwanda earns international acclaim
San Francisco, CA—Global Press Institute (GPI) reporters Gloriose Isugi and Noella Nbihogo, of the GPI Rwanda News Desk, won the 2013 Ulrich Wickert Award for Child Rights in the international category. The winning arcle, “Sugar Daddies Prey on Female Students Headed Home for Holiday in Rwanda,” detailed the ways in which young Rwandan schoolgirls become susceptible to predatory, older men who offer rides and gifts in exchange for sexual favors.
“Gloriose Isugi and Noella Nbihogo explain how easy it is for men in Rwanda to persuade teenagers who do not know the facts of life into having sex,” said Renate Meinhof, a member of the selection jury. “Their [article] insistently gets to the bottom of a concrete issue in the country by examining it from various angles. The reporters of the Global Press Institute describe the situation from close proximity, but they keep the required journalistic distance.”
Isugi and Nbihogo live in Kigali, Rwanda, where they have been reporters with the GPI’s Rwanda News Desk since it opened in March 2012. The GPI Rwanda News Desks is operated in partnership with Girl Hub Rwanda—a collaboration between the Nike Foundation and the U.K.’s Department for International Development. GPI is an international nonprofit organization that uses journalism as a development tool to educate, employ, and empower women, who produce high-quality local news coverage that elevates global awareness and catalyzes social change.
“Gloriose and Noella continue to demonstrate the power of ethical, authentic journalism and the change that it can inspire,” said Cristi Hegranes, GPI founder and executive director upon learning of the award. “They have shown an extraordinary commitment to highlighting important social justice issues affecting girls throughout Rwanda.”
The winning article was selected from among applications from fourteen countries and recognized for its journalistic prowess by a jury composed of prominent German broadcasters and journalists.
Isugi and Nbihogo will attend the awards ceremony, hosted by Plan International Germany, in Berlin in October 2013
About the Ulrich Wickert Award
The Ulrich Wickert Award for Child Rights is awarded by Plan International Germany. Plan International is one of the oldest child-centred community organizations in the world. Plan International Germany annually confers the Ulrich Wickert Award for Child Rights upon journalists whose writing represents the rights of children and girls in a detailed, balanced and understandable fashion and that encourages/stimulates engagement with the content. The award is made possible through the support of Ulrich Wickert, a prominent German journalist and broadcaster.
About the Global Press Institute
GPI is building a network of professional women journalists throughout the developing world who earn a fair wage for reporting on their local communities. Their unique coverage of issues overlooked by mainstream media contributes directly to the development and empowerment of their communities, brings greater transparency to their countries, and changes the way the world views their people and cultures. Today, GPI employs 135 women across 26 developing countries.
For more information please contact Cristi Hegranes, (415) 561-7831, [email protected]
