The member students from Club of Environment based in University of Rwanda (UR) and Institut Catholique de Kabgayi (ICK) have learnt environmental reporting through offered four-day theoretical and practical training at Huye Campus.
The interactive training was held from 29 May to 1 June 2023 and it was attended by 30 student members from both universities. The 15 members from each university were trained for environmental journalism courses. Among the attendees were also two Pax Press staff members and two experienced trainers for environment field.
As it was their first environmental training since the clubs’ initiation in March 2023, those seemingly curious members had many expectations toward environmental sciences and reporting. Aimable Ishimwe, one of the club members from University of Rwanda says what he benefited from the program.
“As training was about environmental journalism, I was expecting to know how environmental issues are reported. Environment is an academic discipline and it has uniqueness, so I wanted to know some approaches and terminologies used in it. Now I can cover a story at the point and become easily understood by non-specialist person of that field”, he says.
“I have been successful because Pax Press and Fojo Media Institute have brought the experts on environmental science and its reporting. I did not know anything about waste management before, but I have gained knowledge about waste management hierarchy”, he adds.
According to environmental specialist, Mugabekazi Sylvie and one of trainers explains waste management as the process of avoiding pollutions and other effects caused by wastes through the hierarchy of preventing, reducing, reusing, recycling, recovering and disposing waste.
Bardine Iratuzi, a student from ICK expresses that her expectations have been really fulfilled.
“During the training, we obtained new knowledge and special terminologies used in environment. The only remaining are practices. I got knowledge I was expecting and by now I can educate others”, she says.
“The main objective of training was to equip environmental club members with basic skills on environmental science and reporting. Therefore they may be able to perform their role of environment awareness and conservation. Firstly as students at their respective schools and, the surrounding communities and Rwandan society as future journalists”, says Marie Anne Dushimimana, a Pax Press staff member in charge of Gender and Environment.
Regardless attendees’ expectations fulfillment, Dushimimana’s recommendations to them include setting environmental-related activities like awareness at their schools, campaigns on proper waste management and producing many contents about environment.
In reference to the training concept note, the four-day training was prepared by Pax Press and Fojo Media Institute through their Rwanda Media Program 2021-2026 targeting capacity building and professionalization of media in Rwanda.
By Evode Blaise Imanirakoze