Malawian journalists win regional awards

The regional award winner is BNL's supplements editor Chipiliro Kansilanga whose story, “Transfering cash to reduce poverty,” published in The Daily Times on 1 March 2010 emerged the best from Southern Africa.

The runner-up award went to her colleague Malawi News editor for its entertainment supplement Weekender, Sellina Nkowani for her story “Social cash transfer; changes lives of poor Malawians,” which appeared in Malawi News on 20 - 26 February 2010.

Malawi's freelance journalist Michael Kaiyatsa also scooped the national award for writing a story he titled “Cash transfer giving hope to vulnerable women,” published in the Sunday Times on 31 January 2010.

Follow-up to intensive training

The Regional Hunger and Vulnerability Programme (RHVP) organised the competition as a follow-up to an intensive training it organised between October 2009 and January 2010 for journalists from the five Southern African countries in collaboration with FrayInternational.

RHVP media consultant Brett Davidson said they really had an excellent set of entries from Malawi for the competition.

“The standard was high, and it has been tough trying to decide on a winner,” said Davidson.

He said Chipiliro's winning feature did not only tell the story of two families and how they had benefited from social cash transfers, but she also painted the bigger picture through reference to some of the latest research from the field.

Davidson said Kaiyatsa will be hearing from FrayIntermedia for his prize, while RHVP will be in touch with Nkowani and Chipiliro for their awards.