The Health Development Initiative (HDI), a Rwandan non-governmental organization, has begun its journey to promote sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHRs) across the region by awarding journalists who have produced outstanding stories in this field.
Since 2016, HDI has been organising an annual event for awarding Rwandan journalists who produce best stories that promote SRHRs, as a way of encouraging them to continue producing such stories and programs.
The 2025 awards were presented on Friday, 12 December 2025, and for the first time, two journalists—one from Burundi and another from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)—were recognized.
The Burundian journalist is Jeanne Mukeshimana who works for Radio Nderagakura, while Ange Kahemulo from DRC writes for Femmes.cd
Jeanne Mukeshimana told Buzima.rw that she produced a program encouraging society to take good care of teen mothers, who face serious challenges, including being denied the right to return to school before their child turns one, being rejected by their families, and other problems that cause the child to suffer a second time.
She continued saying that when she produced the program, she did not expect anyone prizes, and she is now delighted that HDI has recognised her efforts.
‘I realised that the effort I put in has been appreciated by others.’ She said. ‘I am so happy that I don’t even know how to explain it!’. She added.
Both Jeanne and her colleague from the DRC, were awarded a laptop worth over one million Rwandan francs, in addition to 1,000,000Rwf cash prize.
Jeanne said that these awards will motivate her to further improve her work. ‘I have always been working professionally, but now I will put in even more effort and also encourage my colleagues to do the same.’ She said.
Jeanne Mukeshimana is one of 20 Burundian journalists who are members of ABUBEF (Association Burundaise pour le Bien-Être Familial).
Doretha Nifasha, who is in charge of Communications, Marketing and Youth focal point at ABUBEF, also emphasized that the awards align with their goal of promoting sexual and reproductive health in Burundi.
“We provided them with various trainings on SRHRs so that they could produce stories and programs. Now they will work even better, because previously they were doing it without receiving any awards.” She said.
The value of these awards in promoting SRHR in the region is also emphasized by Ange Kahemulo from the DRC.
This journalist, who writes for Femmes.cd, produced a story on safe abortion, a topic that journalists, she said, rarely cover.
Ange, who regularly reports on gender based violence, explained that rape is one of the two circumstances under which a Congolese woman is legally permitted to have a safe abortion but some victims undergo unsafe abortions due to the lack of sufficient information on this issue.
“You will find a woman who has been raped but, lacking proper information, ends up having an unsafe abortion, which can have consequences including death.” She said.
She emphasized that due to the frequent wars affecting the country, many women are raped, which is why they need information about their rights to safe abortion.
Ange expressed her gratitude to HDI for recognizing her role in raising awareness, saying that it serves as a motivation for her to continue working on other reproductive health-related topics.
“This award motivates me to work on other issues related to promoting women’s well-being. For example, on family planning, some people think it is bad because they lack accurate information.” She said.
HDI says this is only the beginning and that the initiative will continue and expand to other countries.
“Journalists play a very important role. Introducing these awards is meant to encourage them to continue reporting on these issues.” Said, Dr. Kagaba Aflodis, the Executive Director of HDI.
‘We started in Rwanda, and we are now reaching the region. It is possible that in the future we will consider expanding to other countries as well.” He added.
Dr. Kagaba also said that these awards are among the activities they carry out in these countries, which include training of health care providers, collaborating with other non-governmental organizations, and educating communities on SRHRs.
The awards offered by HDI have been playing a significant role in encouraging Rwandan journalists to produce stories and programs that promote sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Launched in 2016, the awards initially attracted 15 competing stories, a number that has steadily increased to a total of 246 submissions in 2025.
HDI says it will continue to invest in these awards while also welcoming new partners who can support and strengthen the initiative.
