In partnership with the NGO Radio La Benevolencija, Fondation Hirondelle has been implementing a 24-month project, funded by the European Union, since January 2021, to strengthen the capacities of journalists and media professionals in Burundi.
The direct beneficiaries of this project are 10 Burundian media outlets and their employees (journalists, technicians, managers, etc.); 2 local associations and their employees: Association Burundaise des Femmes Journalistes (AFJO) and Association Burundaise des Radio-diffuseurs (ABR).
Indirect beneficiaries are media-related organizations invited to the trainings such as local associations and NGOs; media consumers and the general population.
Selection criteria are applied to ensure that the selected media have the capacity to deploy the skills acquired to produce and disseminate reliable and factual information. The project systematically invites more media outlets than the 10 direct beneficiaries to training sessions and workshops, particularly the National Radio and Television (RTNB), to ensure representation and inclusion of all media.
The selection process also takes into consideration social media, although they have relatively fewer audiences, but address their content to a younger population.
At the end of the project, the Burundian associations taking part in the training workshops were able to develop new skills to strengthen their capacity as structural players in the media environment. The professional capacities of editorial teams were strengthened. As a result, the Burundian media participating in the project acquired new skills and tools, and developed new strategies and synergies to strengthen their capacities as sustainable players in the media sector.
Project duration: 24 months
Financial resources:
- European Union