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Pan-Atlantic University, Lekki - Epe Expressway, Lagos

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Editor's Masterclass with Pan Atlantic University

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Editor's Masterclass with Pan Atlantic University

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We collaborated with the School of Media and Communication at Pan-Atlantic University to organise a 4-days masterclass for ten editors selected across Nigeria. We selected the editors from print/online, TV and radio platforms.

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We supported a Solutions Journalism training for some Ugandan Journalists in February. Team member Chibuike Alagboso co-facilitated the training with Caroline Karobia, the Africa Initiative Manager at the Solutions Journalism Network.

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20th Africa Int'l Journalism Conference - Johannesburg, South Africa

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20th Africa Int'l Journalism Conference - Johannesburg, South Africa

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Project Lead Chibuike Alagboso attended the 20th Africa International Journalism Festival after successfully submitting a workshop proposal. The conference organisers accepted the proposal and provided a travel scholarship. He co-facilitated the session with Caroline Karobia, the Africa Initiative Manager at the Solutions Journalism Network.

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Global Health Security Conference, Australia

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Global Health Security Conference, Australia

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We had an abstract from the Solutions Journalism Africa Initiative accepted at the Global Health Security Conference in Australia. In addition, we had a workshop focusing on solutions journalism accepted. Two team members, Ibukun Oguntola and Kemisola Agbaoye, facilitated the workshop.

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We successfully submitted a SoJo-inspired photo exhibition at the International AIDS Conference in Munich, Germany. The exhibition focused on sharing efforts to address HIV/AIDS in Africa. Two team members, Chibuike Alagboso and Alexander Chiejina attended the conference to manage the exhibition at the conference's Global Village Section. The conference organisers provided full travel scholarship for one team member to attend.

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Nigeria Institute Of Journalism, Ijaiye Road, Ikeja

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Journalism Educators training, Lagos State

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Journalism Educators training, Lagos State

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We provided SoJo training for lecturers of the Nigeria Institute of Journalism in Lagos. Two community members and Solutions Journalism Africa Initiative fellows, Blessing Olagundoye and Lekan Olafotudurin, supported the training.

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The Kaduna SoJo meetup brought together practicing students, community journalists, and writers. It was an opportunity to get them to network and rub minds on how to propagate solutions journalism. In addition, participants were given the opportunity to learn the rudiments of solutions journalism, from SJ101 to the intricacies of brainstorming, researching, and delivering well-crafted pitches.

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Imo State, Nigeria - Omalicha Radio training

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Imo State, Nigeria - Omalicha Radio training

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In February 2024, the Nigeria Health Watch Team travelled to the Eastern Heartland of Nigeria to spread the "good news" of Solutions Journalism to Omalicha 91.1 radio station staff.

What better way drive the practice of Solutions Jornalism than through one of the most important means of communication - Community Radio.

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Port Harcourt, Nigeria - Chiccoco Community Radio training

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Port Harcourt, Nigeria - Chiccoco Community Radio training

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Still, in February, we journey to Port Harcourt’s waterfront community, where we take off our shoes at Chicoco Radio Station.

Over the course of two afternoons, team members Chibuike and Dabri successfully trained the Chicoco Collective on the fundamentals of crafting and sharing impactful solutions stories.

And as Chicoco does, we are putting this on the SJAI map.

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In Benin City, Edo State, 10 journalists from print, online and television attended the SoJo meetup organised by Usman Aliyu. The sessions focused on pitching for SoJo story ideas, data-driven stories, amongst others.

After the event, a WhatsApp group was created to facilitate community development and growth amongst journalists.

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The Osogbo (Osun state) SoJo meetup themed “telling stories that drive change” was successfully held at the COARTs Lecture Theatre, Fountain University, Osogbo, organised by Rasheed Adebiyi, who facilitated the training and Ahmad Adedimeji, who facilitated the session on “the art and science of pitching”.

A total of 36 journalists attended the meetup.

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In Manhattan House, Kano, Nigeria, Adam Alqali gathered 20+ journalists for the SoJo meetup to build their capacities on the principles of solutions journalism reporting focusing on climate stories. They also learned the basics of pitching SoJo stories. Two participants pitched story ideas and are being supported to work on them.

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Training Journalism students, University Of Jos, Jos

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Training Journalism students, University Of Jos, Jos

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In April, Nigeria Health Watch supported Prime Progress in organizing a one-day training on solutions journalism for journalism students at the University of Jos, Plateau State. The training aimed to equip students with the skills to identify and report on responses to social issues. Approximately 38 students participated in the session.

Before the training, participants completed a pre-event registration form that included a question about their familiarity with solutions journalism (SoJo). Notably, 53.7% of respondents indicated they were unfamiliar with SoJo. However, after the training, 100% of participants reported understanding a SoJo story. Furthermore, four students from the session have since written and published SoJo stories.

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Training Journalism Students, Veritas University Abuja, FCT

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Training Journalism Students, Veritas University Abuja, FCT

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Nigeria Health Watch supported the training of 32 students and three lecturers on solutions journalism (SoJo) at Veritas University.

A pre-event survey revealed that none of the participants were familiar with solutions journalism or had even heard the term before. However, after the training, a post-event survey showed that all participants had gained a clear understanding of SoJo.

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HIV stripped them of their families—One woman offered them a home

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Once shunned by close relatives, women and children affected with HIV in one Kaduna community have found hope and purpose again, thanks to one woman's unwavering support. By Mohammed Ibrahim
In 2014, not long after her second husband died, Malama Binta Lawn Sulaiman tested positive for HIV. Within weeks, her body exploded with severe rashes, and her health declined rapidly, causing her friends and relatives to withdraw from her.

In her new state of isolation, Sulaiman struggled to care for her children, two of whom had also contracted the virus. Medical care was scarce, food was hard to come by and Sulaiman was losing considerable weight by the day.

Her harrowing experience persisted until 2016, when she encountered a small community offering succour to women and children living with HIV/AIDS in Kaduna.
A Glimmer of Hope
At the heart of this group was Aisha Usman, fondly called Hajiya. Having lived with HIV for more than twenty years, Usman founded the Al'umma Foundation in 2003 as a safe haven for Muslim women and orphans in Kaduna affected with the virus in Kaduna.

Each month, Usman gathered the survivors in the courtyard of her home in Rigasa, doling out rice, milk and other staples while counselling them on how to live long and healthy lives amid their status.

She didn't stop there.

Oftentimes, she personally drove many of the women to the hospital to collect their antiretroviral medication.

The monthly meetings at Usman's home offered a great sense of community to the survivors, allowing each one of them to share their stories and draw support from the other.

As word of the meetings spread, more HIV-positive women in Rigasa gravitated towards the Al'umma Foundation. Zubairu Rukayya, a widow living in Rigasa, had slipped into depression when she discovered she had HIV, locking herself indoors and crying inconsolably. Then she met Usman.

Sulaiman and Rukayya are among 1.9 million people reportedly living with HIV in Nigeria. Data ranks the north-central flank, which includes Kaduna, as having the second-highest HIV population after the south-south region. As of June 2024, the HIV prevalence rate in Kaduna stood at 1.1%, according to the state's AIDS control agency.

Nigeria's fight against HIV has relied heavily on foreign support from organisations such as USAIDS, whose recent cut in international aid, following a funding freeze by President Donald Trump, has left HIV care and support systems struggling.

Yet, for women like Rukayya, the Al'umma Foundation fills a critical gap often overlooked by larger interventions.

In the years since it started, the Alu'mma Foundation has welcomed more than 500 women and children living with HIV.

Despite its increasing impact, the support group depends largely on Usman's personal funds, augmented by occasional donations from well-wishers in the community.

Usman's awareness campaigns in Rigasa confront deep-rooted prejudices and stigma against the HIV survivors.

Economic hardship also compounds the women's woes. Many widows, like Rukayya, struggle to afford a 3-square meal and find it increasingly hard to care for their children.

The meetings, nevertheless, have been a source of security for women previously weighed down by neglect and despair.

"Each time I remember some of the motivational talks of Hajiya," Rakayya says, "I develop strength and hope about life. Her counselling is what kept me going, especially during the hardest times. "

Usman's periodic counselling has also boosted their knowledge about their conditions.
An undying will
Although the group has lost a few women and children over the years, its commitment to be a lifeline to HIV survivors in Rigasa has remained unshaken.

Usman's own story embodies hope. Years of consistent antiretroviral therapy reduced her viral load to undetectable levels, making her unable to transmit the virus.

For more than a decade now, Usman has lived with her HIV-negative husband in Rigasa, where she continues to support other survivors, proving that an HIV diagnosis does not mean an end to life.
This story was produced with the support of Nigeria Health Watch through the Solutions Journalism Network, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to rigorous and compelling reporting about responses to social problems.
In a Kaduna community, women and children affected by HIV have found a lifeline through the efforts of Aisha Usman, a woman who has lived with HIV for over two decades. Usman founded the Al'umma Foundation in 2003, providing a safe haven and support for Muslim women and orphans affected by the virus. Usman's initiative includes monthly gatherings where she distributes essential food items and provides counseling on living healthy lives. She also personally drives women to collect antiretroviral medication and educates them about HIV, helping to combat stigma and prejudice.

The foundation, which has helped over 500 women and children, faces financial challenges, relying on Usman's personal funds and sporadic community donations. Despite these challenges, Usman's commitment remains unshakeable, promoting awareness and providing community HIV counseling and testing. Her impact is highlighted by personal stories, such as that of Malama Binta Lawn Sulaiman, who found strength and knowledge through Usman's counsel and now educates others. Usman's own experience showcases that an HIV diagnosis does not signify the end of life, as she continues to support and inspire others while living with HIV.

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HIV stripped them of their families-One woman offered them a home - Prime Progress NG

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Once shunned by close relatives, women and children affected with HIV in one Kaduna community have found hope and purpose again, thanks to one woman's