The Rwenzori Media Development Foundation (RMDF) has been investing in the skills, tools, and professional development of journalists and community media practitioners in the Rwenzori region for years. According to Martin Kibaba, Executive Director of RMDF, strengthening a journalist strengthens the media and ultimately the community. This approach is based on the connection between a journalist's ability to produce reliable information and a community's ability to understand issues, demand accountability, and make informed decisions.
RMDF was established in 2009 to address the challenge of limited access to formal training and professional development for journalists in rural newsrooms. A 2018 study by RMDF found that about 70 percent of workers in the radio stations studied had no formal journalism training. Many had entered the profession after Senior Four or Senior Six and were working as reporters, presenters, producers, editors, or programme managers. This finding raised concerns about the quality of information reaching communities.
RMDF's work has expanded beyond basic journalism training to include institutional strengthening, mentorship, equipment support, practical tools, and partnerships. The organisation's approach is based on the belief that sustainable community media requires both competent journalists and strong institutions. Kibaba emphasises that information does not become useful simply because it is broadcast; it has to be accurate, understandable, relevant, ethical, and trusted.
At the centre of RMDF's work is its School of Journalism, which uses a practical apprenticeship model to cover reporting, writing, editing, news anchoring, radio and television presentation, production, and basic ICT skills. The school exposes trainees to practical reporting, broadcasting, newsroom environments, media houses, and community assignments. This approach enables trainees to graduate with confidence, judgement, and a body of work.
RMDF has trained more than 300 journalists, and Kibaba views each trained journalist as a potential channel through which better information can reach communities. One journalist may improve a newsroom's news bulletin, while another may produce a stronger health programme. The impact multiplies as trained journalists reach a wider audience and influence the quality of information available.
The connection between journalism and community wellbeing is particularly visible in environmental reporting. The Rwenzori region faces environmental challenges, including deforestation, pollution, land degradation, and flooding. Journalists covering environmental issues need to understand science, data, policy, and the experiences of affected communities. RMDF partnered with Makerere University's Department of Journalism and Communication on a project to strengthen environmental and climate reporting.
The project trained 30 journalists from 15 community radio stations to make climate change and environmental issues relevant to their audiences. Journalists learned to ask critical questions, such as what the destruction of a wetland means for farmers, who is responsible, and what laws protect the wetland. This approach helps move journalism from simply describing events to producing public-interest reporting, ultimately strengthening accountability and the ability of communities to hold institutions and people in positions of power accountable.
Key points
- RMDF trains journalists to improve information quality in rural communities.
- The organisation's approach is based on the connection between a journalist's ability to produce reliable information and a community's ability to understand issues, demand accountability, and make informed decisions.
- RMDF has trained more than 300 journalists, enabling them to reach a wider audience and influence the quality of information available.
