PRT Farah attends photojournalism training graduation in Farah City

FARAH CITY, AFGHANISTAN

02.17.2013

Courtesy Story

Provincial Reconstruction Team Farah

FARAH CITY, Afghanistan – Leadership and guests of Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) Farah attended a graduation ceremony highlighting the completion of a two week journalism skills workshop for male and female journalists, the first training of its kind in Farah City here, Feb. 17. The workshop was coordinated by Humayoon Zahin, an employee of the Farah Directorate of Information and Culture and member of local civil-society organization Hamagan, and was funded through the Performance Based Governance Fund (PBGF). Also in attendance at the ceremony were Leiluma Sediqui, Farah director of women’s affairs, Joma Paikar, acting Farah director of information and culture, Sa’ed Ahman, Farah City mayor, Shahla Abubakar, Farah provincial council member, and Ghulam Mokhtar Rahib and Abdul Rahman Zhwandai, representatives of the Provincial Governor.

Over 40 male and female journalists attended the training which included training on story writing techniques, coordination with media outlets, basic photojournalism skills and interview techniques. Male and female students went through the course separately to provide a more comfortable learning environment for students.

“This training was essential for the journalists in Farah,” said Zahin. “Male and female students alike were very engaged in the learning process. All of them had a desire for follow on training, which we will try to provide for them. We are working hard to increase the capacity of our journalists to a professional level.”

PRT Farah took the opportunity to teach the photojournalism portion of the workshop which covered basic photo composition techniques, photo captioning and editing, photo stories and news photography. The baseline course for the PRT’s training was provided by Navy Public Affairs Support Element (NPASE) in Norfolk, Va., and the final course used was tailored for use in the workshop by U.S. Navy Lt. j.g. Matthew Stroup, the PRT’s public affairs officer and his interpreter.

“When Zahin asked me to provide the photojournalism training I was a bit nervous as I didn’t have a training curriculum to use,” said Stroup. “I was very grateful for the quick support from NPASE and for support of my Afghan interpreter here – he’s a great teammate. The journalists here really benefited from this training, and we couldn’t have done it without the help of my fellow Navy PAOs and our local Afghan counterparts.”

The journalists who attended the workshop came from varying sectors of Farahi media including television, radio and print media. One of the largest challenges in Farah is building media capacity and providing opportunities for practical training – something the workshop achieved. And while the PRT is working closely with local Afghan civil society and media leaders to build a baseline for long-term capacity building, it is equally important that key networks are developed between communications leaders in Farah and organizations that can provide training, guidance and expertise as the coalition draws down.

To that end, the PRT is coordinating with a number of organizations to link local Farahi journalists with training opportunities including NAI, an Afghan led NGO supporting free media in Afghanistan, and the International Center for Journalists based in Washington, D.C. The continued mentorship, expertise and resources that these organizations provide make it possible for communications professionals in Farah to effectively communicate at the provincial and national levels.

“The Farahi government has made great strides to provide good governance to the people of Farah. It is important that the people of Farah know how the government is working for them, and the responsibility to communicate that message rests with the leadership in Farah,” said U.S. Navy Cmdr. Louis McCray, commanding officer of PRT Farah. “It is equally important that the journalists in Farah have the capacity to report on issues so that they receive the attention they need.”

Both male and female students of the workshop were excited to attend the training and many looked forward to further training and the opportunity to break into media jobs in Farah and throughout Afghanistan. One female student, who attended the course while on break from university studies in Kabul, intends to apply for a position with ToloNews, one of Afghanistan’s largest media outlets.

Another female student, Fatema Folad, spoke highly of the workshop.

“I am very excited to achieve my goals by studying and getting the training provided by this workshop. I hope to see one day that girls can raise their voice and make others to hear them,” said Folad. “Now I think I’m powerful and strong, and many thanks to those who helped me in this training.”

While the media in Farah is not nearly as developed as media outlets in New York, Los Angeles, or Kabul, there is reason for optimism. Continued capacity-building training like the journalism workshop in Farah City will provide the resources necessary for Farahis to have a clear voice as transition is completed in 2014.

“There are lots of changes going on in the world,” said Rahib. “…and we all have to do our part. I ask that the journalists in Farah carry the voice of the people of Farah to the outside world.”

PRT Farah’s mission is to train, advise, and assist Afghan government leaders at the municipal, district, and provincial levels in Farah province, Afghanistan. Their civil-military team is comprised of members of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). For more information about the PRT follow their page on Defense Video and Information Distribution System (DVIDS) at www.dvidshub.net/unit/PRTF.

• Date Taken: 02.17.2013
• Date Posted: 02.17.2013 14:11
• Story ID: 102146
• Location: FARAH CITY, AF