New Vision scribes scoop awards for promoting rights of older persons
Feb 13, 2020
The older persons’ rights and dignity media awards were intended at recognizing journalists who have outstandingly worked towards promoting the welfare and the dignity of older persons.
AWARDS
KAMPALA - New Vision journalists have scooped awards for prioritising older persons' issues in their reporting.
The older persons' rights and dignity media awards were intended at recognizing journalists who have outstandingly worked towards promoting the welfare and the dignity of older persons.
Organized by Help Age International in collaboration with Uganda Reach the Aged Association, it attracted 18 entries from print journalists. The stories were from a period from December 2018 to December 2019. It was funded by Voice programme.
Agnes Kyotalengerire from the New Vision was voted the overall winner. She received a cash prize of sh1m on top of an accolade.
Nelson Kiva also from the New Vision came second. He won a cash prize of sh750,000. While the Daily Monitor's Ephraim Kasozi was the third winning a cash prize of Sh550, 000.
Kyotalengerire's story under the headline; "Government plans loans for the elderly, laws against discrimination," was voted the overall best story.
The story explores the issue of ageism which is a form of discrimination based on age. According to the judges from the gender ministry, the story addressed the challenge of financial exclusion of older persons from accessing financial services.
At the awarding ceremony held at Help Age offices at Ntinda in Kampala yesterday, the country programme coordinator Help Age International -Uganda, Emily Kemigisha commended the winners for putting in effort to promote issues affecting older persons.
"We want to encourage you to keep it up. Older persons issues should not be thrown into the dustbin" Kemigisha said.
She said every year they will be rewarding journalists who stand out on reporting issues affecting older persons.
Over the years the population of older persons in Uganda has been growing steadily.
According to the 2013 Uganda Bureau of Statistics report, they were estimated at 1.6 million.
The UN projects that by 2050, the population of older persons in Uganda will have increased to 5.5 million.