Sheila Ponnie was born in what is today, South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation. But due to the protracted, civil war in her homeland, she spent her childhood in Uganda where she attended Primary/Secondary Schools and listened to the reporting of the war in her home country. She dreamed that one day she could do that too. When she returned to South Sudan, after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Nkumba University at Entebbe, she got that opportunity. Hoping to add to her voice to those reporting on her country’s new and fragile peace, while building a solid platform for the future, Sheila accepted a position as a news and programme intern/reporter with Radio Miraya, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, UNMISS - “they helped me understand the obstacles a journalist faces working under challenging political and security conditions.” Since then, using that platform, as a staff journalist for several news organizations, a freelance reporter and documentary producer, Sheila has reported and contributed to conversations on governance, peace and reconciliation, women’s health, girls’ education, the environment and migration issues in Africa. She’s also participated in women in media and press freedom conferences in Finland, Morocco, Uganda and Kenya among others. Today, Sheila works for (VOA) the Voice of America Network and files TV and Radio reports from South Sudan. She also covers local news and issues as a print reporter for the Juba Monitor, the country’s largest daily, newspaper and she hosts “One Insight” a nightly, talk and music program on Radio One 87.9 FM in Juba. Sheila is passionate about giving a voice to the public and bringing positive, social change through her work as a journalist.