Our Added Value

Voices of Africa Media Foundation In Short

- Mobile phone camera rivals quality of professional camera
- Barriers between interviewer and subject lowered by using mobile phone instead of camera
- Cultural and language barriers to the media lowered by working with local youth
- Talented, unemployed youth targeted
- Online and offline coaching and training by media professionals
- Online training platform creates a unique learning environment
- News stories uploaded to training platform via internet or mobile phone (GPRS)
- Building a marketplace for assignments for our reporters through partnerships
- Providing visibility of local news published by talented reporters
- Creating a pool of professional independent community reporters

Vision
We firmly believe that a strong domestic media capacity contributes to a more balanced image of Africa at home and abroad and to local transparency.  By rooting this capacity in underserved communities reporters can prepare the ground for broader participation of the local community in the political process. 

Mission
Our mission is to strengthen the media function in Africa by encouraging young Africans to play an active part in reporting news about their communities. We want to achieve this by training the new generation of Africans to gain reporting and entrepreneurial skills to build and pursuit a career as community based reporters.

Giving A Voices To Africans

People in African communities are often not informed about issues that affect their daily lives. They may not speak the official language or lack the access to information.  Voices of Africa reporters are local young people with a vested interest in their own future and that of their community.  They speak the local languages and understand the currents of change that affect their neighbours. Voices of Africa assists young Africans in giving a voice to their community.

Despite a growing interest in new media journalism, the number of African web journalists, photographers and film professionals lags far behind global norms. New technologies like the Internet and mobile telephony offer Africans a new set of tools to explore the issues that matter in their country.

The experience of Voices of Africa indicates that the use of a mobile phone lowers the barriers that are present between professional photojournalists and their subjects. People report that they feel much less intimidated by the camera phone and feel free to share their story. Voices of Africa Media Foundation uses interactive technology as a powerful reporting tool.

Our Approach
Voices of Africa Media Foundation recruits young local talent without jobs and provides them with the skills to build a media career and earn their living.

The foundation combines mobile phone technology, professional training materials, local professionals and an interactive online training platform to add value to the training.

Partnerships are formed with NGO’s, companies and media organisations to generate assignment for the reporter-trainees. We cooperate with third party media platforms to provide maximum exposure for the best stories.

Reporters are selected from rural and industrial areas and report about those communities. A significant number of trainees are young women. Reporters tell us about their daily life and give a voice to local issues and hopes. They report about achievements, but also about negative events. They are able to comment on developments that are threatening and that initiate discussion.

Voices of Africa reporters are trained to give a voice to their community. Read more about our training programme and visit the training website www.VoicesofAfrica.com.