Journalists Receive Training in the United States

August 25, 2009

Tanzanian Journalists from various media houses that returned from an intensive one-month training program in the United States with support from the American People through PEPFAR and USAID at the U.S. Embassy recently.

Nine Tanzanian Journalists from various media houses have returned from an intensive one-month training program in the United States with support from the American People through the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The program at the University of Maine in the United States emphasized the latest in investigative reporting techniques and new media technologies, as well as government reporting, press freedom and journalistic ethics. Special emphasis was placed on health and HIV/AIDS reporting to build skills for reporting to the public on critical health issues in Tanzania.

Participants spent time with host families to learn more about life in typical American households. They also visited Washington D.C. where they met with the Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, USAID media specialists, PEPFAR officials and other U.S. government representatives.

The journalists were also received at the Tanzanian Embassy to the United States of America to learn more about the close partnership between the two nations. This is the second year that Tanzanian journalists have attended the University of Maine Journalism Exchange Program. This year’s group included journalists:

• Joyce Magoti (Media Solutions),
• Monica Luwondo (Tanzania Media Women’s Association),
• Simon Berege (Tumaini University),
• Deus Ngowi (New Habari Ltd)
• Kamalamo S. Kamalamo (Changamoto),
• Simon Kivamo (Association of Journalists Against AIDS in Tanzania),
• Khalfan H. Said (The Guardian),
• Rachel Yusuf (Africa Media Group) and
• Levina Kato (Mwananchi).

In a ceremony at the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam, each participating journalist received a laptop computer to help them apply their new skills in service to the Tanzanian people.

Funding for the exchange program awarded to these journalists comes from the American people and is part of overall U.S. Government direct and multilateral assistance to Tanzania of more than 750 billion Tanzanian shillings this fiscal year.