Announcing the Africa Great Lakes Reporting Initiative [@IWMF]

Washington, DC – The International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF) is proud to announce a $5 million grant from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation to expand its reporting initiatives in Africa's Great Lakes region. The African Great Lakes Reporting Initiative will provide training and support for in-country women journalists, as well as opportunities for international correspondents to work in regions of East and Central Africa that receive limited coverage abroad. These efforts will include essential security training to help journalists stay safe in the field.

"Women are vital to international development, so it is critical that their voices are well represented in the global conversation. The IWMF's unique programs are designed to include women's perspectives in international news reporting. We need more of those perspectives brought to Africa's Great Lakes region, a part of the world that has so much potential and yet faces so many challenges to development," explained Howard G. Buffett.

In addition to continuing its work in the Democratic Republic of Congo [link to Congo pages], in 2015 the IWMF will lead groups of women journalists to the Central African Republic, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda to report on the intersections between conservation and conflict, agriculture and food security, democracy and governance. Over the next four years, the IWMF plans to work with more than 350 journalists to reshape the media narrative about the region.

To address growing safety concerns for journalists, the IWMF will expand its security training to benefit both international reporters and hundreds of journalists living and working in the African Great Lakes region by conducting hostile environments training for all of its program participants. In addition, the IWMF will launch its journalism security app, Reporta™, to facilitate the implementation of security protocols and to gather information about incidents of violence and threats against journalists around the world.

"Media organizations, even those with an interest in Africa's underreported stories, are hard-pressed to find the resources to pursue them. With the generous support of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, we will build a network of journalists around the world devoted to producing outstanding news coverage in and about Africa." said Elisa Lees Muñoz, Executive Director of the IWMF.

To learn more about the African Great Lakes Reporting Initiative and how to submit an application, please go to iwmf.org/greatlakes and follow the IWMF on Twitter and Facebook.