Kim Wall Memorial Fund Names Three Female Journalists as New Grantees

Recipients extend Kim’s legacy by covering underreported stories on global subcultures

NEW YORK, March 23, 2019 – Family and friends of late Swedish journalist Kim Wall, in partnership with the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF), recognized three female journalists as part of the Kim Wall Memorial Fund’s annual grant ceremony. The event, now in its second year, honors women whose reporting advances Kim’s legacy and covers subculture, defined by Kim as the “undercurrents of rebellion.” The selection committee is comprised of IWMF staff, as well as Kim’s friends and family.

On what would have been Kim’s 32^nd birthday, the fund announced Violeta Moura (Portugal) and Christina Ayele Djossa (United States) as this year’s grant winners. Saba Imtiaz (Pakistan) has been awarded with an honorable mention. The 2019 winners, who will receive up to $5K for their reporting projects, were chosen from a pool of more than 110 applicants across 45 different countries.

Violeta Moura is a freelance photojournalist and journalist from Vila Real de Trás-os-Montes, Portugal. Since beginning her career as a wire reporter in Jerusalem, Ms. Moura has travelled around the world to cover topics ranging from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Polish environmental conservatism and air pollution, and the effects of Indian military rule over the Kashmir population. In 2017, Ms. Moura was named one of TIME’s ‘34 Female Photographers to Follow.’
Christina Ayele Djossa is a reporter, writer and producer based in New York. Before working as a journalist in her current role, Ms. Djossa was a Princeton in Asia Fellow at World Education Nepal, where she contributed stories on subjects including human trafficking, girls’ education and the effects of earthquakes in the region.
Saba Imtiaz is a freelance journalist, researcher and author based in Pakistan. Ms. Imtiaz’s work, which covers culture, human rights, urban rights, food and religion, has appeared in outlets including The New York Times, The Guardian, Marie Claire and BBC, among others. Ms. Imtiaz was an International Reporting Project Fellow, Visiting Carnegie Fellow at New America’s National Security Program, and a Kathryn Davis Fellow for Peace at Middlebury Language School’s Intensive Summer Program.

Kim’s parents, Ingrid and Joachim Wall, said: “Throughout her career, Kim was a curious, dedicated reporter who was steadfast in her mission to amplify the voices that needed to be heard, no matter where they were in the world. This fund carries her vision forward, and we are excited to expand its size and scope by supporting three exceptional journalists as they pursue their own global journeys.”

Elisa Lees Muñoz, Executive Director of the IWMF, remarked: “It is an honor for the IWMF to celebrate and advance Kim’s legacy of cutting-edge journalism by expanding the number of Kim Wall Memorial Fund grantees. The issues these grantees are reporting on would surely be of interest to Kim, and our organization is proud to support quality journalism in her name.”

About The Kim Wall Memorial Fund

Kim Wall was an award-winning journalist working in print, video, radio and long-form writing.

She reported on gender, popular culture, identity and foreign policy from China, Sri Lanka, Uganda, Haiti, North Korea, India and the Marshall Islands. Her work appeared in a wide range of publications, including The New York Times, Foreign Policy, The Atlantic, TIME, Slate, Vice and The Guardian. In August 2017, Kim was killed while on assignment in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Kim Wall Memorial Fund was established by her family and friends to honor her spirit and legacy. The grant supports young female reporters to cover subculture, broadly defined, and what Kim liked to call “the undercurrents of rebellion.” For more information, please visit https://www.rememberingkimwall.com/ or connect on Twitter @TheKimWallFund and Facebook @kimwallmemorialfund.

About the IWMF

Since 1990, the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) has worked to unleash the potential of women journalists as champions of press freedom to transform the global news media. We seek to ensure that women journalists worldwide are fully supported, protected, recognized and rewarded for their vital contributions at all levels of the news media. As a result, consumers will increase their demand for news with a diversity of voices, stories and perspectives as a cornerstone of democracy and free expression. Through our programs and grants, we empower women journalists with the training, opportunities, and support to become leaders in the news industry. Learn more at www.IWMF.org.

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