Melkamsew Selomon is a journalist with over 15 years of experience and also a Board Member of the Ethiopian Media Women Association (EMWA).

Melkam shares her inspiring journey from growing up in Addis Ababa to becoming a prominent journalist and advocate for gender equality in media. She discusses her early life challenges, her pursuit of education, and her transition into journalism.

Melkam's path to journalism was not a straightforward one. Despite excelling academically, she faced personal challenges, including an early pregnancy that temporarily derailed her educational aspirations. However, her determination and the support of her family enabled her to persevere, eventually leading her to the University of Addis Ababa, where she got her bachelor’s degree in foreign language literature and Master’s degree in communication and journalism.

Subscribe to Her Media Diary now on your favourite podcasting platform https://linktr.ee/hermediadiary

Learn about African Women in Media at https://africanwomeninmedia.com

List of Organisations/Resources to Support Women in Media

· Rise Women in Broadcast

· Journalist’s Toolbox:

· International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF)

· African Women in Media (AWiM)

· SourceHer

· Public Media Women in Leadership

· International Journalists’ Network (IJNet)

· Kigali Declaration on the Elimination of Gender Violence

· Women’s Media Center (WMC)

· Media Career Development Network

· The World Journalism Education Council (WJEC)

· AWiM Learning

Mwape Kumwenda is an accomplished journalist and co-founder of Crown TV, Zambia with over 1o years of experience. She shares her experience growing up in Kabwe, Zambia where she witnessed firsthand the vulnerabilities faced by women and girls in her community. This early exposure to gender-based violence fueled her passion for justice, initially leading her to aspire to become a lawyer. However, circumstances led her to journalism, where she found a powerful platform to amplify the voices of the voiceless.

Mwape’s story speaks to the need for women in media to rise to the top of their careers to ensure adequate representation and ultimately reduce gender-based violence in and through the media.

Subscribe to Her Media Diary now on your favourite podcasting platform https://linktr.ee/hermediadiary

Learn about African Women in Media at https://africanwomeninmedia.com

List of Organisations/Resources to Support Women in Media

· Rise Women in Broadcast

· Journalist’s Toolbox:

· International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF)

· African Women in Media (AWiM)

· SourceHer

· Public Media Women in Leadership

· International Journalists’ Network (IJNet)

· Kigali Declaration on the Elimination of Gender Violence

· Women’s Media Center (WMC)

· Media Career Development Network

· The World Journalism Education Council (WJEC)

· AWiM Learning

· Free Press Unlimited

· International Women's Media Foundation

Sarah Mawerere is a senior broadcast journalist at Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC). She shares her experience growing up in the rural Busoga Region of Uganda, where she faced numerous challenges, including the loss of both parents at a young age. Despite these hardships, she pursued her dream of becoming a journalist, inspired by the voices she heard on Radio Uganda as a child.

The Kigali Declaration on the Elimination of Gender Violence in Media in Africa has been a significant influence on her work. Sarah sees it as a call to action, urging media houses to ensure that their content is gender-sensitive and that the voices of both men and women are represented equally.

Subscribe to Her Media Diary now on your favourite podcasting platform https://linktr.ee/hermediadiary

Learn about African Women in Media at https://africanwomeninmedia.com

List of Organisations/Resources to Support Women in Media

· Rise Women in Broadcast

· Journalist’s Toolbox:

· International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF)

· African Women in Media (AWiM)

· SourceHer

· Public Media Women in Leadership

· International Journalists’ Network (IJNet)

· Kigali Declaration on the Elimination of Gender Violence

· Women’s Media Center (WMC)

· Media Career Development Network

· The World Journalism Education Council (WJEC)

· AWiM Learning