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MESHA trains members on mobile journalism as a holistic form of story telling

by with No Comment EditorialOpinion

A media association, they say, is as good as its members.

For an association to prosper and keep on soaring, it must listen to the changing needs of her
members. And so, when members of our association, the Media for Environment, Science,
Health and Agriculture (MESHA), requested, through our very active members only WhatsApp
group for a training on mobile journalism (MOJO) last December, the leadership led by our
Secretary, Aghan Daniel, listened.

“We have to keep on with the demands of a dynamic and ever evolving media landscape, print,
online and radio lest our association becomes a dinosaur,” said Aghan during the opening of the
training held from March 31- April 1, 2022.

The training targeted journalists with a revolutionary approach to telling science stories in
keeping with a fast paced world.

Members, 15 of them, were introduced to the MOJO concept and its elements. Trainees heard
that MOJO is an all around multimedia solo reporting act in which the smartphone serves as a
complete production unit for collecting, editing and disseminating news.


Emmanuel Yegon, a multi-media journalist unpacked MOJO as the most critical tool for
journalists as it helps transcend many challenges facing journalists.

Yegon trained through a highly interactive classroom setting that included lectures, question and
answer sessions as well as practical assignments. He first unpacked MOJO as a form of digital
storytelling where a smartphone is used to collect or create data in audio, images and videos.
The smartphone is further used to edit collected or created content and to disseminate content. As
a full production unit, there is no limit on how far one can go to collect news, features and
relevant information.

He trained journalists on what he termed as a “new workflow for media storytelling where
reporters are trained and equipped for being fully autonomous.”

The first day of training was anchored on two key factors. First, that MOJO enables reporters to
undertake multiple production and content distribution activities using one single device.
Second, the audience have access to the same means of producing content allowing for them to
similarly consume content through mobile devices. As such, MOJO is a cross-platform and
digital innovation approach within the reach of reporters in far flung areas.

Participants discussed storyboarding, or story planning using mobile devices. They were also
taken through elements of a practical MOJO toolkit which includes a quality smartphone, a
microphone, a simple LED light, a power bank and tripod.

The trainees were also taken through the dos and don’ts of MOJO including not zooming while
recording images or collecting videos. Reporters were further taken through tips in image
orientation and direction. They were advised not to mix both landscape and portrait images while
creating content.

The viability of taking photos, videos, audio and graphics, editing and uploading to their
respective newsroom servers were also discussed. The trainer encouraged reporters to own or
have access to a smartphone and to develop skills on MOJO as this is the new frontier of content
creation, production and dissemination.

MOJO, in essence, participants heard, is a solo media production unit. Practical sessions
included how a lone journalist can use a single mobile devise to tell their story, from breaking
news, news features to more timeless human interest stories.

Reporters saw firsthand how they can achieve the greatest value from their smart phones as a
production studio in their pockets. This form of reporting is a cost effective platform, portable
and convenient.

For investigative reporters, it is a safe platform to discreetly collect information without
detection. By the same token, MOJO can help a journalist to stay safe when recording sensitive
information.

MOJO is also flexible and a journalist can produce content at a faster pace. Reporters were also
taken through video recording apps or camera apps that can help them capture quality images.
By further connecting their smartphone to an external microphone, they can record quality
sound. This, Yegon says, is akin to putting an entire production unit in the pocket. More
importantly, an entire newsroom can put these simple device production units in the hands of
more journalists.

“Those lessons were the most interesting thing I had been through in the recent past,” said Rachel
Kibui from Nakuru. Her counterpart from Kitui, in Eastern Kenya, Nzengu Musembi added that
“the sessions were pretty educative. From this training, I can see myself being a competent
mobile journalist.”

By Joyce Chimbi

Biodiversity: Experts urge the public to embrace and protect insects/over 500 edible insects’ species in Africa

by with No Comment biodiversityEditorialOpinion

Biodiversity champions in Kenya and Africa have called on Kenyans to embrace and protect insects saying that they are very key in maintaining the ecosystem.

The head of Technology Transfer Unit at the International Centre of Insect, physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) Dr.Niassy Saliu said many insects which are playing key roles like pollination, decomposition of nutrient in the soil and also used as food might soon be extinct because they are not protected.

Dr.Niassy said many people have ignored the roles played by insects in the society adding that besides helping in issues of pollination, nutrient decomposition, some insects are used as food for humans. He said insects are very rich in nutrients like protein, zinc among others.

The head of Technology Transfer Unit at the International Centre of Insect, Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) said countries like Europe have embraced insects by even creating laws to protect insects, adding that the majority of the people are eating insects.

Dr.Niassy said such laws protecting insects which have been developed in some countries are also very necessary in Kenya adding that the people in Kenya should value the insects.

In Africa, there are over 500 edible insects while globally over 1900 insects’ species are eaten.

Among the edible insects in Africa include legend termite, spiders, beetles, mantids, flies,plant bugs,wasps;moth/butterflies ,dragonflies  and grasshoppers

By George Juma.

Migori County.

1st MARCH 2022.

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How community groups help people living with HIV achieve viral load suppression

by with No Comment BlogHealth

Jennifer Atieno, 54, has been living with HIV for the last 12 years.

Ever since she tested positive to the virus and was enrolled for antiretroviral therapy (ART), Atieno has been taking her medication without failure.

When we, a group of journalists from the Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture (MESHA) met her last week, she was in a group of other women and men who are also living with HIV in a homestead in Rarieda, Siaya County, in western Kenya.

They formed the group to encourage and advise each other to live positively with the virus. Their group known as Nyakongo Group has 12 members, who meet once every three months.

“In this group we discuss how best we can live and protect ourselves with regard to drugs we all take,” she said.

Before the group was established, Atieno got her medicine from a health facility after every three months. However, since last year when they formed the group she has been able to limit the number of hospital visits and save on transport.

“Each of us contributes Ksh10 and we give to one of us who goes to the facility and bring medicine for the 12 of us. We then agree on whose home we meet then each of us takes their drugs for the three months,” she said.

Nyakongo is one of the Community ART Groups (CAGs) under a programme supported by the Centre for Health Solutions (CHS), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO). The NGO has trained peer educators working under the programme.

“The groups should only visit hospitals twice a year because clients are supposed to take home drugs meant for six months,” said Millicent Kanyala, a peer educator at Madiany Sub-county Hospital in Siaya County.

“But they cannot go with the whole six months’ drugs, so they are given drugs for the first three months, then the refills are done after three months.”

CHS allows clients to voluntarily choose a community group they want to belong to. Members of each group has members who are familiar with each other to allow openness and peer interaction without fear of being stigmatised. Each group has a leader and the names and contacts of members are contained in the CAGs’ diary book.

“The diary informs me of when each group is supposed to visit the facility. So, I prepare the drugs well in advance and call their peer leader and tell them the date they will be taking drugs in their community,” said Kanyala.

CAGs are a model for ART distribution, where groups of people living with HIV rotate for clinic visits and drug refills while dispensing drugs to their peers in the community and ensuring peer support.

“The uptake is steadily good and every member wants to join community groups. So far, we have 90 community groups with a total of 822 members. In 2017 we only had 22 groups,” said George Nyakora, adherence counsellor at Madiany Sub-county Hospital.

In 2017 when Madiany Sub-county Hospital launched the programme, viral load (the amount of HIV in the blood) suppression was at 84 per cent. Mr Nyakora says this model has since helped the facility to achieve a viral load suppression of 96 per cent as at November 2021.

“Initially in 2017 the suppression cut off point was 1,000 copies/mL, currently it is 400 copies/mL. Anyone who achieves viral load suppression of below 400 copies/mL is considered to be doing well in terms of ART uptake,” said Nyakora.

He said viral load that is more than 400 copies/mL means the immunity level has dropped or is dropping and the likelihood of contracting opportunistic infections is very high.

***A MESHA (www.meshascience.org) Feature – December 2021

 

By Tebby Otieno

Expert: Journalists must stay out of harm’s way while covering COVID-19

by with No Comment Health

By Christine Ochogo

NAIROBI – SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 2020 – Journalists have been cautioned against using traditional ways of news gathering when covering the coronavirus pandemic.

Just like all other humans, journalists are not an exemption and are equally at risk of contracting and spreading coronavirus disease given the nature of their day to day work.

Internews Global Health Media Adviser, Ms Ida Jooste is advising journalists globally to protect themselves fully if they have to leave home which she discouraged. For now she said everyone should stay at home and adhere to social distancing. “No story is worth your life hence staying safe during this unprecedented time is paramount,” she warned.

Ida was speaking during a cross border science café conducted online where over 70 science journalists from Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Madagascar, Ghana and Nigeria participated.

The science media café was organised by the Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture (MESHA) from Kenya, Humanitarian Information Facilitation Centre (HIFC) from Zimbabwe and Health Journalists Network in Uganda (HEJNU) whose team leader, Ms Esther Nakkazi, moderated the session. On board was also Zambia Institute of Mass Communication (ZAMCOM).

She mentioned that it was high time journalists embraced use of information technology such as, zoom, skype, WhatsApp among other social media tools.

The media advisor highlighted the importance for journalists to also adopt more revolutionary ways to gather news and information such as maximizing phone-in formats and voice recording for interviewees to avoid physical contacts with them, maintaining online production of unfolding story in credible and impactful way so as to keep audience.

She also advocated for use of protective equipment and adhering to the evolving guidance about best practice for safety such as wearing of face masks, keeping social distance, these among others.

During the café the Executive Director, International Community of Women Living with HIV, Kenya Chapter, Ms Inviolata M’mbavi, said lack of information flow from government has stifled access to medication and health services for persons living with HIV. 

She added that all the attention is now focussed on COVID-19 at the expense of other ailments. However she noted that some facilities had devised ways of serving them such as providing ARVs for three weeks per visit.

 “The COVID-19 situation is complicating lives of majority of HIV patients and this has increased their stress levels since they are unable to access antiretroviral therapy (ART) and other medication,” she added.

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Young women’s HIV burden worries experts

by with No Comment Health

As curtains fell on what has been a landmark scientific conference on the prevention, care and treatment of HIV, it was clear that there are many strides made in the right direction.

Notably, the national adult HIV prevalence has been on a steady decline in the last seven years.

According to the National AIDS and STI Control Programme (NASCOP), “annual new infections are less than a third of what they were in 1993” when the epidemic was at its strongest.

There are now better antiretroviral regimens that are accessible and consequently, more people on treatment inspiring experts to declare that the country may well be on its last mile towards achieving the 95-95-95 dream.

This is essentially a fast track plan to halt the spread of HIV by 2020 and to eventually end the epidemic by 2030.

Initially dubbed the 90-90-90 Aids eradication strategy, the goal is to have 90 percent of people living with HIV tested, 90 percent of those diagnosed with HIV put on treatment and 90 percent of those on treatment achieving durable viral suppression.

Based on advances in the treatment and care of HIV, experts are now aiming for 95-95-95.

Nonetheless, experts are alarmed that this success story has been clouded by failure to prevent new infections among young women 15 to 24 years.

“When you talk about new HIV infections, these are people who are negative today and HIV positive tomorrow.

Young people account for about half of these new HIV infections and this is a worrying statistic,” said Anthony Chazara, LVCT Health and Youth Programme.

Dr Lillian Njagi from Kenyatta National Hospital concurs: “More than half of all new HIV infections occurred among adolescents and young people aged 15 to 24 years which is a sharp rise from 29 percent in 2013.”

According to NASCOP’s latest estimates, 1.5 million people were living with HIV with youths accounting for 280,000 of these numbers.

Speaking at the conference, Dr Njagi was particularly concerned that young women continue to be disproportionally affected by HIV.

Across Africa, HIV infections among young women are double or triple those of their male peers. “In Kenya, young women are almost twice as likely to acquire HIV compared to young men,” she emphasized.

Due to their vulnerability to HIV, young women 15 to 24 years account for 33 percent of the total number of new HIV infections. In comparison, NASCOP statistics show that young men account for an estimated 16 percent of the new HIV infections.

Experts attribute this high HIV prevalence to gender inequalities, violence against women, limited access to health care, lack of access to education and jobs, and health systems that do not address the needs of young people. During the entire period of the conference, experts belaboured the fact that the face of HIV has significantly changed.

People living with HIV are no longer as sickly as they used to be. It is therefore now possible for a HIV positive individual with a very high viral load and therefore highly infectious to appear healthy.

This has shaped the attitudes that young women have as well as their own perceptions of being at risk of infections.

Surveys have shown that young women are still more fearful of an unplanned pregnancy than HIV. But there are other factors that have served as obstacles to the prevention of HIV among young women. Experts said

that biology does not help. Teenage girls’ immature genital tract is more prone to abrasions during sex, opening entry points for the virus.

Experts were also quick to clarify that besides sex, the age of the male partner is a defining factor. “The trends are showing that HIV prevalence is high among women aged 15 to 24 and among men aged 35 to 45. This is because of the intergenerational relationships,” Chazara expounded.

The age of the young woman herself is also a factor. Women who had their first sexual encounter before the age of 15 years faced twice the risk of getting infected with HIV.

Importantly, experts belabored the point that interventions are in the pipeline to address the needs of young people in the prevention, care and treatment of HIV.

According to Dr Irene Mukui of NASCOP, “There is a lot of discussion and focus on the youth to figure out how to prevent new HIV infections, to ensure those infected are on treatment and that they have good treatment outcomes once they start taking antiretroviral drugs (ARVs).” With experts drumming support on increasing awareness and knowledge of HIV prevention among young people, these efforts are bearing fruits.

Nonetheless, more young men than women have demonstrated adequate knowledge of HIV prevention.

In the Kenya Health and Demographic Survey (KDHS) 2008, an estimated 48 percent of young women and 55 percent of young men “demonstrated adequate knowledge of HIV prevention compared to 73 percent of young women and 82 percent of young men in 2014.”

There is still no consensus on teaching young people about HIV and sexual health. This remains a debatable controversial issue with the most recent KDHS 2014 finding that an estimated 40 percent of adults were “against educating young people about condoms” for fear that it might be taken as encouragement for them to have sex.

Such fears and controversies notwithstanding, the figures have spoken and raised the alarm. Without urgent and young people tailored interventions, the HIV prevalence among young people will become the epidemic.