Field Stories
The media is considered a critical partner in disseminating data. Therefore, through our dissemination and sustainability Core, we have carried out trainings to equip journalists with skills to aid in data storytelling, by
- Empowering journalists to think critically and deeply about data and how it affects storytelling, specific around health data
- Enabling journalists to use data sets with ease. Interrogate data, ask questions, explore various angles and be introduced to sources, people they can reference in their stories and invite to their shows. angles and be introduced to sources, people they can reference in their stories and invite to their shows
- Building local journalists’ capacity to report on complex health issues effectively using data.
The participants also learnt how to use excel and scrap data from reports, ethics in health and data storytelling and how to pinpoint a Google tool for visualization. One of the trainings took place in April 2023, focusing on journalists from Kenya’s coast. The training was facilitated by Chris Orwa, a seasoned data scientist and journalist, Ken Kiunga from Google, Maureen Mudi from the Media Council of Kenya and Prof Nancy Booker, the DSC lead. After the training, the 38 journalists were required to submit story ideas on mental health and maternal, newborn and child health. From the ideas, 23 journalists were picked to receive funding to enable them to go to the field and actualise on their story ideas. The 23 feature stories, (in audio, video and written format), highlighted in this section, are as a result of that training and funding for the Hub.
Anything To Numb The Pain: The Devastating Cost of Addiction and Mental Illness
Story by Steve Otieno, Initially dismissed as stubborn and then labelled as mad, Abdi Mohamed’s journey into depression and drug abuse began with fractures in his family. Where he was once embraced with love and admiration, he found himself abandoned, seeking solace in the ancient walls of Fort Jesus in Mombasa. He would find himself […]
How Kilifi County has Reduced Infant Deaths through Accessible Maternity Services
Story by Phelgonna Velma, Grace Karisa, a mother of four, knows first-hand the struggles new mothers and their infants face when accessing quality healthcare. Four years ago she feared the worst when she developed complications just three weeks before her due date. At t hat time, the nearest hospital with a well-equipped maternal services was […]
Tradition Vs. Modernity: Kilifi Mothers’ Dilemma Amidst Persistent Infant Mortality Rates
Story by James Odhiambo, For Miriam Keya of Rabai, life has never been the same since her first child died due to a birth complication. “It was the most traumatic experience of my life,” she says, her voice filled with grief. “I was looking forward to becoming a mother for the first time, but instead, […]