Fellowship Program for Women Journalists
Supported by: USAID PROGATI
Period: 15 July 2009 – 31 December 2010
The project awarded 40 women journalists for a six-month fellowship on journalism. The fellowship included three-month in-house training and three-month internship in the country’s major national print and electronic media. The fellowship emphasised on improvement of fellows’ capacity on investigative reporting, aimed to promote good governance and combating corruption. About two third of the fellows are now well set in the field of journalism and doing fine.
During the fellowship several experience sharing and motivating meetings were ’ organised with country’s renowned personalities to enrich their knowledge, outlook and level of confidence. The personals who gave their thoughts and ideas to the fellows were; Professor Muzafar Ahmad, former minister Dr. Mizanur Rahman Shelly, Selina Hossain, Dr. Maleka Begum, Rizwan Hasan, Barrister Muzur Hasan and Khushi Kabir.
As part of the fellowship the fellows prepared seventy-five in-depth reports on various issues. And, those were released to media for publication and media also published the items with due credit.
A certificate giving ceremony was held at Dhaka on December 8, 2010.
Chief Information Commissioner former Ambassador Muhammad Zamir, Chief of Party of USAID Progati Hugh C. Orozco, Samakal Editor Golum Sarwar, CEO and Chief Editor of Boishakhi TV Monjurul Hasan Bulbul, Former BSS Editor Zaglul Ahmed Chowdhury, International President of Commonwealth Journalists Association(CJA) and former Editor of Daily Sun Hassan Shahriar, trainers and fellows, representatives from various organisation, including USAID Progati and a number of senior journalists of major news media houses were present in the occasion. Media people from newspapers, agencies and TV channels widely covered the event.