Thursday, July 17, 2008

Malawi Journalists renew Aids fight

Journalists in the country have formed a renewed their commitment with the aim to consolidate the provision of information related to HIV and Aids in the media. The grouping named Association for Journalists against HIV/Aids was formed on Tuesday at a meeting that was held at Mount Soche Hotel in Blantyre.

The association was a combination of various media organisations that are into fighting HIV and Aids after realising the gap that have been existing between reporting HIV and Aids related issues and the new intervations that are being introduced in the fight against the pandemic .

During the meeting, which was financed by a Zimbabwe based organisation, Southern Africa HIV and AIDS Information Dissemination Service (Safaids) it was observed that a number of interventions have been introduced worldwide which the people of Malawi have not information to.

Safaids Media Liasion Officer Tariro Makanga Chikumbirike said issues of HIV and Aids are cross cutting so it was imperative that journalists of all specialities should be part of the fight against the pandemic.

 “Aids issues are no longer health issues, they are in politics, they are in social and even in sports,” she said.

Chikumbirire particularly was impressed with the presence of Malawi News sport Editor Pilirani Kachinziri at the meeting saying it spoke volumes of how issues of HIV and Aids has really affected the Malawi society of all aspects.

During the delegates derived all media houses in the country elected BNL journalist Rex Chikoko as its chairperson while Villant Ndasowa of FirstWave Media was elected the vice.  Ministry of Information Journalists Everson Kalanda was elected Secretary while Richard Chirombo of Africa News.

TVM Geoffrey Kapusa, MBC Dorophy Kachitsa, Joy Radio Henry Haukeya and Edith Mkwaila and Star Radio Mabvuto Zamadunga were elected as members.

 

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