As a freelance journalist, I want to train citizen journalists living in communities that were affected by the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. I have seen that people who survived it are not writing what they experienced. I fear that as time goes on, genocide survivors will get old and die without leaving genocide memories to the next generation. It is dangerous to forget what happened because there is a risk that it can happen again. I want to train young people to interview genocide survivors on what they went through so that they can publish those stories in blogs, YouTube and other social medias
Topical focus:
Country:
What locality or neighborhood will your project focus on?
Bugesera district
Describe the specific population with whom you will be working.
When I talk to genocide survivors about writing what they went through before and during the 1994 genocide, many of them don't know how to write or don't value it. However in those communities there are young people who finished high school and universities who know the value of keeping memories of what happened in the genocide. I have talked to a number of them and are ready to be trained and use their knowledge to keep the memories of the 1994 genocide through social medias. I want to work with these young people because they live in the communities with genocide survivors and can be trained to use social medias as they possess basic computer literacy. These young people will become citizen journalists and be broadcasting memories of the genocide in blogs, YouTube among others.
Who else will be on your team to help implement the project?
I will be working with young people who live in communities where there live genocide survivors. They don't easily have access to the internet and social medias. This is the reason why I want to train them to open social medias account for the purpose of reporting what happened to their family members during the 1994 genocide. I have identified five young men in five different communities in Bugesera district who will sensitized others to join this project’ s training.
What kinds of news, stories and other content will be created?
The news that will be created are that of what happened to genocide survivors during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. More than 50 young people will be trained interview techniques as well as the use of of social medias. The skills they will gain will enable them to be writing stories on blogs they will create after training. They will also be trained to share their stories written on their blogs on other social such as Twitter and Facebook.
They will also be trained on how to record videos using devices such as mobile phones. They will therefore be trained to upload those videos on YouTube account they will create during trainings.
What technologies and digital tools do you plan to use in the trainings?
Describe the connections that you or your organization have already established or plan to establish that will contribute to the success of the project.
I intend to approach a telecommunication company called TIGO and request a partnership for this project. The company will either give mobile phones or free internet connection to some of trained young men. The mobile devices and free internet connection will help them to be connected to the internet and start using social media to keep the memories of the 1994 genocide. The ministry of Youth and ICT will also be approached to support the successful implementation of this project.
How many participants do you think will be trained in your project?
More than 50 young people will be trained interviews techniques as well as the use of social medias.
Describe which technologies, tools, and media you will focus on when training participants.
I have a blog http://freelancejournalist1980.wordpress.com for almost two years. I have seen how good a blog is to keep memories. As a person I can pass away but the information I have updated to my blog will always be there.
I think blog is a best tool to keep memories the reason why I want to train those young people on use of blogs to keep genocide memories.
Describe the facilities where you will hold the workshops.
I will hire five computer laptops and buy USB modems that will connect those computers to the internet.
In each of the five locations where training will be held, comfortable rooms for rent have been identified. They will host those training and are near restaurants where we can purchase foods and drinks for participants.
What is your current relationship with the community with whom you plan to work? What makes you the most appropriate individual or organization to implement this project?
As a freelance journalist, I most of the time go to Bugesera district where those communities live.
I have therefore established many contacts for a period of four years I have been working as a journalist. In addition to that my family have been a victim of the genocide and people who live in those communities know me as a genocide survivor. It will be easy to work with these communities for this project.
What specific challenges do you expect to face when planning and implementing your project?
The main challenges will be to follow up the trained young men to update their blogs and YouTube account once the training period is over. I plan to have all the trained citizen journalists on my social media account in order to keep inspiring them on the reason why genocide memories have to be preserved at all costs.
How will you measure and evaluate the project’s impact, specifically: your primary participants, the wider regional community, or the global digital community?
I will know that the project was a success once the citizen journalists keep updating their blog accounts and by the amount of comments they will attract locally and internationally.
If your project were to be selected as a Rising Voices grantee, what would be the general timeline of project activities in 2014?
From May 2014: Contacts with the young men to be trained as well as securing facilities and equipments.
June – July 2014 : Training in five locations in Bugesera district
August – November 2014: Follow up on the use of social medias by the trained young men.
December 2014: Report.
Detail a specific budget of up to $2,500 USD for operating costs.
Rent of five computers: $ 1000
Training facilities, food and beverages: $500
Internet access: $ 200
Travel: $ 300
Coordinators expenses: $500
Besides the microgrant funding, what other support can Rising Voices provide for your project to ensure its success?
You can provide me with training materials and other expertise to help me carry out this project.
Contact name
Daniel Nzohabonimana
Organization
Freelance journalist