Monrovia: Several journalists from various media institutions across Montserrado County have acquired skills in gathering information on reporting Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) activities.
The journalists recently acquired the skills at a one day intensive training conducted by an international organization Water -Aid in collaboration with the Wash Reporters and Editors Network of Liberia (WASH R&E).
Speaking at the opening of the training Thursday November 12, 2020 at the water Aid office in Sinkor, the Country Director Chuchu Selma said the training was part of the organization’s partnership with the media as a way of building their capacity in upgrading and advancing some of their works.
According to him, Water Aid’s objective for engaging the media is to afford journalist here the opportunity to acquire relevant information and skills within the WASH Sector.
The Water Aid boss narrated that it is not only necessary for the media to provide coverage and publish activities of the wash sector, emphasizing that empowerment is a key component to the advancement of the organization’s agenda.
He said it is vital to the media to amplify the voices of people and to communicate messages that will impact their lives and make sustainable changes.
Mr. Selma further disclosed that the media has the ability to increase the participation of people, most especially citizens, based on their understanding of things and getting them involve.
At the same time the Water Aid executive described the media as essential partner, stressing that without the media it would be difficult for Water Aid to accomplishing its goals .
‘’As you all know, Water Aid has been involved in advocacy and influencing and without the media it will be very difficult if not impossible to realize some of our goals,’’ he noted.
The Water Aid boss however, assured the WASH-R&E members who underwent the training of his organization continual partnership as a mean of improving the lives of ‘ordinary Liberians through the provision of WASH to become a reality.
‘’The Objective of today training is to help improve journalists’ understanding of key WASH issues especially in Liberia to certain extend, the statistics at the global level, to improve your understanding and so that you will be able to present most of the facts, the happenings in the way that it will be well understood and be presented in a simplified manner to readers,’’ Selma indicated.
Additionally the Water Aid Executive said the training was an opportunity for the participates to capture some of the good works that have be done within the WASH Sector aphorism not just by Water Aid and partners including the Liberian government .
‘’I can assure you that if you look back over the last ten years, things have never remained the same. So we have made progress, we should identify the good works we have done that made these progress in as much as we are still looking at the challenges,‘’ he noted.
Also speaking was the Executive Director of the WASH Reporters and Editors Network of Liberia, Augustine Myers, who extolled Water Aid for affording the journalists the opportunity to acquire such knowledge.
He appreciated the support given the WASH Media, highlighting that the media group remains key in buttressing their advocacy into WASH activities.
Mr. Myers assured the partners of the participant’s commitment to amplify to the public, those information acquired during the training.
