GULU, August 24, 2024 – Climate Women Media Action, a non-profit organisation has trained 14 female journalists in Gulu to make eco-friendly shopping bags in an effort aimed at supplementing their monthly income. Journalists are one of the underpaid professionals in Uganda.
The paper bag making activity was part of a one-day training on climate change reporting held on Tuesday at Northern Uganda Media Club [NUMEC] in Gulu City.
Hedwig Arinaitwe, the founder of Climate Women Media Action said the training which was delivered by Nature Love Packaging, a paper bag making company, aims to give journalists a platform to earn extra income.
“We chose to give women journalists an extra skill out of the newsroom because while journalism is a good field, the pay is meagre. We asked ourselves how journalists can make money in their field and outside, and decided to train them on a green skill,” she said.
Arinaitwe said unlike polythene bags which take 10 -20 years to decompose, paper bags take 4-6 weeks to decompose.
She said, “We hope to have paper bag ambassadors from among the female journalists we have trained who will in turn train other women in their communities.”
A similar training that drew 20 female journalists was held recently in Kabale district, according to Arinaitwe.
Journalists who attended the training were excited saying they finally have a skill to earn money instead of relying solely on the meagre payment from journalism.
Rosemary Anena, a freelance journalist said it’s the first time in her career that she is being taught a skill outside journalism.
“Most journalists earn very little money, most times as little as below Shs 300,000 while a few earn above Shs 500,000. This forces journalists to find a side hustle to supplement their income,” Anena said.
A 2021 survey by African Centre for Media Excellence [ACME] suggests that a Ugandan journalist earns not more than Shs 1,000,000 per month.
Chowoo Willy, a journalist and trainer urged female journalists to take interest in climate change as a beat saying there are many community issues they can write about to raise awareness and call for action.
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