The KIU Community congratulates Faiza Salima and Martha Kahunde for making it to the Media Challenge Fellowship Programme.

The Media Challenge Fellowship program is an aggressive multimedia journalism training awarded to the best 25 students from the Inter-Institutional University Media Challenge, a practical reporting competition in 12 universities in Uganda.

Faiza Salima and Martha Kahunde were part of the team that represented KIU in the 2019 Media Challenge Expo under the theme: c��?Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction in Uganda and Africac��?c that took place at the Mackinnon Suites Kampala from 1st to 3rd November 2019. The Media Challenge Expo was the 3rd stage of The Next Gen Journalist Project by the Media Challenge Initiative, whose strategic vision is to build the next generation of journalists, storytellers and leaders equipped to create change in their communities through experiential peer-peer learning, transformational training, and mentorship.

Faiza Salima who is currently in her third year in Mass Communication programme, won the award for Best Technology Reporter at the Media Challenge Expo.

c��?We did try to deliver a good product as we did what was required, did a full professional script and handed in,c⬝ says Salima.

She also mentions that while at the Expo, the KIU team faced some challenges which they managed to overcome.

c��?The only thing we wouldc��?cve done better was the overall quality of the video and the lighting,c⬝ she says, c��?But regardless, we worked really hard, gathered enough information from the Expo, and our team was really good.c⬝

Martha Kahunde, a second-year student in Diploma in Mass Communication, won the award for the Best Feature Story Writer.

c��?It was my second time to participate. I got to do a lot of research on my story, and I received a lot of help, plus my personal effort,c⬝ says Martha.

Both ladies admitted that they were very excited to have received news about their acceptance into the Media Challenge Fellowship after the submission of their applications.

c��?Lots of people apply for this fellowship and most have pretty powerful applications. But I was so excited because this is one of the things that will help me to shape my career even further,c⬝ says Salima.

c��?At first, I was sad because I wasnc��?ct called with the news like my colleague was,c⬝ Martha narrates, c��?but later on, when I checked my email, I was very excited to see that I had made it.c⬝

Both ladies are ready for the fellowship and are planning to make the best out of the fellowship. They both encouraged students of the KIU community that would want to participate in the Inter-Institutional University Media Challenge to be patient, persistent, and aggressive in achieving their goals.

�About the Media Challenge Initiative Fellowship Program

The Media Challenge Initiative (MCI) is a youth-driven non-profit, building the next generation of journalists in Africa through training, mentorship and experiential peer-to-peer learning.

Through practical reporting assignments in a newsroom setting, industry experts train the fellows in the Fellowship Program in online, radio and television journalism, photography, and data and investigative journalism. Fellows also gain experience in various beats: political, economy, health, environment and climate change, and security reporting. The program further includes career guidance sessions, visits to media houses and training in entrepreneurship and leadership skills.