IWMF Launches New Initiative for Journalists from South Asia

For immediate release
November 5, 2009

For more information:
Lindsey Wray
(202) 496-1992
LWray@iwmf.org

IWMF Launches New Initiative for Journalists from South Asia

Washington, D.C. – The International Women’s Media Foundation will bring together women journalists in December for the South Asia Initiative on Women and HIV/AIDS Policymaking.

Six journalists – two each from Bangladesh, India and Pakistan – will participate in activities and events designed to help them respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in their home countries. The program will be held in Washington, D.C.

Participants were chosen from a pool of nearly 40 nominations. They are:

Zannatul Bakiya is a staff correspondent for Channel i, an independent television station in Bangladesh. She reports on issues such as health, agriculture, the environment, and women’s and children’s affairs.
Sumera Khan is a reporter and anchor for Express News television in Pakistan. Throughout her career, she has covered health, child abuse and HIV/AIDS, among other topics.
Huma Khawar is a freelance writer and consultant in Pakistan with more than 20 years of experience in the news media. She has covered gender, health, human rights and environmental issues and has worked to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS in the media.
Yasmin Reema is a district correspondent for The Daily New Age, a newspaper in Bangladesh. She covers subjects such as health, education, water sanitation and women’s rights.
Teresa Rehman is the principal correspondent for Tehelka Magazine in India. She tracks HIV/AIDS in Northeast India, a conflict-torn region with poor infrastructure that is plagued by drug abuse and human trafficking. Rehman started a listserv for journalists interested in HIV/AIDS coverage.
Sandhya Srinivasan is a consulting editor for www.hivaidsonline.in and a consulting editor for public health for InfoChange News & Features. Both Web sties are managed by the Centre for Communication and Development Studies. She is also a faculty member at the Centre for Studies in Ethics and Rights in Mumbai.

The IWMF is partnering with the Centre for Development and Population Activities and the Center for Women Policy Studies for the initiative. Six women leaders each from civil society and parliament will join these journalists for the program.

The South Asia Initiative is generously supported by the Ford Foundation.

Founded in 1990, the International Women’s Media Foundation is a vibrant global network dedicated to strengthening the role of women in the news media worldwide as a means to further freedom of the press. The IWMF network includes women and men in the media in more than 130 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.iwmf.org.

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