The PANOS Institute Southern Africa (PSAf) Vulnerable Groups Programme seeks to ensure that the issues and concerns of vulnerable groups - children, particularly physically and mentally challenged persons - are integrated into the development agenda. To raise the issues and concerns of these groups, and in order to stimulate public discourse on the issues that affect them, the Vulnerable Groups Programme invites print and radio journalists from the Southern African region to participate in a fellowship programme aimed at creating debate around the issues of child physical and mental disability, child welfare, child protection, and the development and empowerment of handicapped children.


The selected journalists will be challenged to collect testimonies from children with physical and mental handicaps in their communities, as well as those who work with care-giving and policy-making for these affected individuals, particularly those in rural communities. Each selected journalist will receive a stipend of US$600 to cover transport and other expenses involved in accessing materials from grassroots for the features. There are 4 fellowships available.


Each fellowship will produce 3-5 features, in either print or audio formats, to be published in the journalists' newspaper or broadcaster by October 15 2008. Each print feature should be a 1000-word in-depth feature. Each radio feature should be 15 - 20 minutes, in the local language for broadcasting purposes, with copies translated or dubbed into English for later use. The features should be stories that capture the challenges that physically and mentally handicapped children face in their countries, particularly in rural areas. Stories should include the voices of children and should also contain critical analysis, from a policy perspective, of the situation.


The deadline for application is August 15 2008.

The completed application package consists of:

• A copy of your CV;
• Examples of relevant work previously published or broadcasted (scripts are acceptable);
• A one-page series proposal that articulates the topic, importance, objectives, sources, and how the output will be as widely published/broadcast as possible;
• A brief letter of understanding from the journalists' managing editor, communicating their willingness to provide airtime/space for fellowship content dissemination.

If all materials are available in soft copy, completed applications may be sent via email to mali@panos.org.zm - also please copy ameck98@gmail.com If you are sending hard copy, please mail to the contact address below. Please send any questions, comments, or concerns about applications to mali@panos.org.zm

Email from Mali Kambandu to The Communication Initiative on July 30 2008.