Kigali, Rwanda, Oct. 1, 2009 – The U.S. Mission in Kigali and The International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX) announce the launch of the Rwanda Media Strengthening Project (RMSP). This two-year capacity-building program is designed to increase the sustainability and professionalism of the Rwandan media, enabling the sector to more effectively provide the kind of news and information important to Rwandan citizens. The RMSP is a key element of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Threshold Program for Rwanda, which is being implemented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in partnership with IREX and the Government of Rwanda.
The RMSP is a multi-faceted program which will provide training and small grants to all media sectors including practicing journalists and journalism students, media managers, media owners and media associations. The program will also continue, and expand, the work of the Rwanda Initiative, a Canadian-based project that has been providing journalism educators to the National University of Rwanda School of Journalism and Great Lakes Media Center for nearly four years. In addition, the RMSP will establish two new private community radio stations in areas outside of Kigali to provide local news, information, and educational programming in more rural areas of Rwanda.
Specific activities of the Rwanda Media Strengthening Program will include:
• Innovative training targeted toward working journalists, and editors in the form of three-week mentored “Pitch Labs”, Team Reporting Grants to encourage coverage of cross-border issues, a practical skills building conference, and editorial and news room management coaching.
• Business and media management consultancies to assist media owners in improving their outlet’s sustainability and profitability; plus “business Initiative” grants to assist media owners in expanding their news operations.
• Planning assistance and support to media associations to improve their ability to provide needed services to their members, and to conduct media outreach and media literacy activities.
• Rwanda Initiative journalism educators at NUR and GLMC to teach practical reporting courses, initiate a new teacher training program to increase the number of qualified Rwandan journalism teachers, and conduct a program review in collaboration with the university and GLMC to improve course preparation and delivery.
• Media & Technology Grants to encourage new uses of existing technology to provide news and information to the public.
IREX is a Washington D.C.-based non-profit organization specializing in media development and civil society strengthening in more than 100 countries worldwide. The Rwanda Initiative is a journalism teaching partnership between the National University of Rwanda and Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. MCC is a U.S. Government corporation, whose mission is to reduce global poverty through the promotion of sustainable economic growth. USAID is a U.S. Government agency that provides economic, development and humanitarian assistance around the world in support of the foreign policy goals of the United States.
