Upcoming Events

Past Events

 

15 February 2022

  • Story Grants

THE DIRAJ – DRR STORY GRANT CHALLENGE

Disaster Risk Reduction Network of Africa journalists (DIRAJ) brings together African journalists and communicators interested in sharing disaster risk reduction news, tools, and practices in order to foster a culture of prevention rather than reaction.

DIRAJ is seeking journalists, news correspondents, freelance reporters, and multimedia content producers to submit story pitches for awards of up to USD 1,500, thanks to support from the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).

Click here for additional information on how to apply for the grant.

 

2 –3 June 2021

Online
  • Digital Conference

A New Era for Africa’s Drylands

On 2-3 June 2021, the Global Landscapes Forum – GLF,  will host the first-ever digital conference focused entirely on Africa’s drylands and how integrative restoration practices can see them flourish once again.

GLF Africa: Restoring Africa’s Drylands – will feature inspiring speakers, the latest science, concerts, film screenings, virtual tours, networking, and “the unexpected discoveries that always form part of a Global Landscapes Forum event.”

Happening just before the official launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021 – 2030), our members will be in attendance, interviewing speakers and participants and bringing you all the exciting moments on our website and all our social media platforms.

Find more information on the conference here. 

 

11 September 2020

  • Roundtable

Radio Journalism and Disaster Risk Reduction

A panel of experienced radio journalists will be sharing how they report on disaster prevention even when there isn’t an active disaster, how they shape risk perception in local communities, as well as discussing how communities participate in design and production of content, and much more.

Salome Kitomari is a senior reporter and assistant news editor for Nipashe Newspaper. She has over 16 years experience in journalism and has won more than ten excellence in journalism awards in different categories, including tourism, conservation, investigative journalism and human rights. She is the chairperson of Media Institute of Southern Africa, Tanzania Chapter (Misa-Tan), that stands for freedom of expression and right to information.

Jean Chinsamba-Chilombo is a broadcast journalist, gender activist and station manager for Chisomo Community Radio Station in Salima Malawi. She is a champion of disaster risk management and produces stories that aim at furnishing the rural communities with information on early warnings through participatory scenario planning that focuses on preparedness and mitigation of disasters in areas that are disaster-prone. She has been part of the district civil protection committee in Salima which looks into issues of disaster management and response.

Hosted by Carolyne Gachacha.

 

 

 

4 September 2020

Zoom
  • Roundtable

Capturing disasters: The challenges facing photojournalists and videographers

DIRAJ is proud to present a special webinar discussion with two accomplished Africa-based video/photojournalists. They’ll be discussing how they’ve built their careers, how the pandemic has affected their work, and some of the biggest challenges to capturing memorable images and videos during a disaster.

Hosted by Jainaba Sonko.

Faith Sudi is a digital video journalist with BBC Africa. Her skills include video shooting and editing, still photography, news writing, reporting and editing.

Neha Wadekar is a multimedia journalist reporting across Africa and the Middle East. Her written and video work has been published in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Economist, CNN, Foreign Policy, TIME, Reuters and Quartz, among others. She has received fellowships from Type Investigations, the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting, the Groundtruth Project, the Overseas Press Club, the International Women’s Media Foundation, the United Nations Foundation and the Fuller Project for International Reporting.

 

 

14 August 2020

Zoom
  • Workshop

Reporting on Nature-based Solutions

Nature-based solutions as an umbrella concept has gained momentum over the past five years and it is rooted in the importance of healthy ecosystems for people’s well-being.

Through actions to protect, restore and sustainably manage ecosystems, nature-based solutions provide approaches to address societal challenges such as food insecurity, climate change and disasters. As global initiatives and research are being produced to better guide the implementation of nature-based solutions at scale, journalists have an important role to play to inform the public and facilitate the process.

Recognising that there are several barriers that need to be lifted to enable journalists to effectively report on nature-based solutions, the Disaster Risk Reduction Association of Journalists (DIRAJ) is organising a webinar for African journalists on 14 August 2020 at 12:00 PM EAT,  in collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Objectives of the training:

  1. To explain what nature-based solutions is and how it relates to disaster risk reduction
  2. To illustrate with case studies how nature-based solutions look like in practice and its importance
  3. To provide tips and ideas on how journalists can identify and report on nature-based solutions
  4. To encourage more and better engagement between environmental technical experts and journalists

Click here to register

 

24 July 2020

Zoom.
  • Workshop

Mobile Journalism Tips

Maximillian Jacobson-Gonzalez, of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) – the United Nations specialized agency for information and communications technology – will be sharing some tips on how to maximize the quality of your mobile-phone-based reporting through gear, software and techniques.

RSVP by emailing web@diraj.org.

 

 

10 July 2020

Zoom

Annual General Meeting

Please add your ideas through our questionnaire.

Agenda

Part 1: Where we are now?

Part 2: Where should we go?

Part 3: How we get there

 

3 June 2020

  • Hashtag campaign

World Bicycle Day 2020

Cycling has become a resilient and reliable transportation choice during the pandemic lockdown, and it’s also healthy and sustainable.

We believe safer cycling infrastructure, particularly in urban environments, is a vital part of a post-COVID-19 green recovery.

To celebrate World Bicycle Day on Wednesday 3 June, we’re asking you how your local government could make cycling safer.

Record a vertical video of your ideas, and share it on Twitter with the hashtag #MakeCyclingSafer.

We’re looking forward to your ideas!

 

 

 

2 June 2020

Zoom
  • Workshop

Solutions Journalism Workshop

The spread of COVID-19 has created an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty across the world. Many people want to know what they can do to ensure they and their communities are safe. This is also true for many other types of disasters, like earthquakes, or tsunamis. Solid reporting on what’s working to help reduce risk and keep people safe helps provide crucial information to individuals and policymakers.

The UN office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) is partnering with the Solutions Journalism Network to help journalists rigorously cover effective responses to the issues created by COVID-19, and more globally, how to better prevent and cope with disasters. Four workshops will be organized in Asia, Africa, Arab States and Americas and open to reporters used to work on these issues.

If you’re an African journalist looking for an introduction to solutions reporting, as well as solid guidance on how to get started and concrete tips on Disaster Risk Reduction coverage, join us for a 90 to 120 minutes online training.

The training will cover:

  • Define what solutions journalism is and discuss why do it
  • Understand, through looking at case studies how to use the 4 pillars of solutions journalism
  • Develop strategies to applying these principles to covering COVID19 and disaster risk reduction

We will highlight stories from your region, cover responses to COVID-19 and other disasters, and will invite a journalist with solid experience on disaster risk reduction coverage to participate in a 30min Q/A session.

If you are interested to join the session in Cairo on 1 June or in Nairobi on 2 June please register by emailing web@diraj.org.

 

25 May 2020

  • Twitter Chat

Africa Day 2020

On Monday 25 May 2020, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the Disaster Risk Reduction Association of Journalists (DIRAJ) will host a Twitter chat in observance of Africa Day. Anyone with a Twitter account can join the conversation, which will be moderated by @dirajafrica around the hashtags #DRRAfrica and #AfricaDay2020.

The online chat will explore how the risk of disasters can be reduced in Africa through innovation and increased awareness, as well as how we can build a more resilient and sustainable systems and infrastructure in the wake of the current pandemic.

Tune in to Twitter on 25 May at 14:00 EAT to take part.

Questions

  1. 1. Tell us about a resilience-building initiative in Africa that inspires you.
  2. 2. How can international, national and community organisations and authorities build better disaster resilience?
  3. 3. Give an example of how technology can reduce the risk of disasters in Africa.
  4. 4. How can we better communicate disaster risk reduction priorities?
  5. 5. How can a post-pandemic Africa become more inclusive and socially-just?
  6. 6. How can we transform African businesses to be more sustainable and resilient to future disasters?

Use the hashtag #DRRAfrica in your answers.

Useful links

UNDRR: undrr.org
DIRAJ: diraj.org

 

 

7 May 2020

ZOOM
  • Workshop

Twitter for Journalists

We’re pleased to announce that James Edge, the web and social media editor at the International Fund for Agricultural Development in Rome, will be hosting an online workshop on Twitter for Journalists. Previously with FAO, he now runs the @ifad twitter accounts. James also authored the IFAD Communications Toolkit. RSVP by sending an email to web@diraj.org with the subject Workshop.

 

27–30 January 2020

Mombasa, Kenya
  • Workshop

DIRAJ Experience sharing workshop for SADC, EAC and IGAD regions

Two-day indoor learning based on field experiences of journalists covering different disaster emergencies in Africa.

We discuss professional reporting techniques for journalists covering disaster risk reduction and humanitarian response scenarios, plus insights to understand the Disaster Risk Management sector, its architecture, mandates and mode of operation.

A further two days will be spent in the field, producing stories individually and in groups from various locations in the Kenyan coast, including from the Mikoko Pamoja community mangrove project.

Supported by UN office for Disaster Risk Reduction – UNDRR.