Part of my "mission" or job here is to work with journalists on stories... features, mainly. And, I have to say, this is one of the most rewarding and challenging aspects to being a Knight Fellow.
Stories currently in production...
The implications of teen pregnancy - death, poverty, social ruin, illiteracy, and so on. It's scary what could happen to a young girl who gets pregnant.
Road safety for children - a very interesting radio piece by a very smart, talented journalist. There are no street signs, no crosswalks, no traffic signals... and thousands of children are hurt in accidents on the roads.
Computer school upgrades - another fearless and dedicated journalist is working on comparing computer schools... some are scams and some are legit but the field is totally unregulated. Some offer "degrees" while others offer "certificates". Most of these are useless and unrecognized by any educational institute or by employers. But, the key to getting a job or getting ahead here is computer knowledge, which makes this a lucrative scam or good business.
Land Grabbing in Sierra Leone. This issue is huge and affects almost every country in Africa. Large, international companies and hedge funds are leasing up the land... to the detriment of the small farmers, villages and communities. It's scary how Sierra Leone is selling itself off. Investment incentives by the Gov include no tax for ten years, 0 duty on imports, no requirements for schools, social responsibility or health services, no labour regulations, etc. etc. Sierra Leone is "open" for abuse. Scary.
More stories are in the works and I'll try to keep things updated. This is a journalists heaven and hell... so many stories... so many nightmares. And, it's incredibly difficult to get the facts. No one's talking about these things... and it's high time they started.
More later,
S/
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