The Hirondelle Foundation is launching a call for applications to select a group of journalists for its professional training program "Violence Prevention and Media: Strengthening West African Media." Its objective is to strengthen the constructive role of the media in West Africa in preventing conflict and violent extremism by promoting their role in providing information and acting as agents of prevention, and by giving a voice to all parties concerned. This training program receives technical and financial support from the Peace and Human Rights Division of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA).
The program is aimed at professionals in radio, audiovisual, print, and online media with at least five years of experience, as well as media managers from Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger, and Togo. The activities will be spread over 18 months, with four sessions lasting 5 to 8 days, organized every three to four months. The first 5-day session is scheduled for November 17-21, 2022, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The following sessions will also take place in the Burkinabe capital at the following indicative dates: March 2023 (8-day workshop), July 2023 (8-day workshop), and November 2023 (5-day workshop).
The unique feature of this pilot program is its focus on violence prevention, which requires specific tools that will be acquired during the training sessions. It addresses three fundamental needs: in-depth work on the role of the media in promoting peace and preventing violence, strengthening advocacy for violence prevention, and mobilizing, raising awareness, and building a community of media professionals from which broader work could be undertaken.
Journalists from the seven countries listed above who wish to apply for this training cycle can do so by clicking here.