One of our most competitive programmes, our Climate Change Media Mentorship is off on another cycle with 6 amazing young journalists from countries across the global south.
From April to August 2022, these storytellers from very different backgrounds and countries will engage in hands-on learning about new media journalism. They’ll be publishing powerful stories, engaging in podcasts, writing newsletters, running awesome social media ventures, and so much more. Get to know the team!
MEET OUR FELLOWS
Alex Tumuhimbise, Uganda 
Alex holds a Bachelors degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Uganda Pentecostal University in Fort portal City. He also has a diploma in Journalism and has worked in radio, with online news agencies, and at the Daily Monitor for the past 10 years.
His work has been featured in international news organizations, such as Earth Journalism Network, Floodlight-US, Mongabay News -US, and The Guardian.
Alex has special interest in reporting on climate change reporting, extractive industries, and environmental governance. He’s an alum fellow of the African Center for Media Excellence, Thompson Reuters Foundation, and Earth Journalism Network and Internews.
Check out some of Alex’s work: ‘No power to stop it’: optimism turns to frustration over east Africa pipeline.
Climate related stories are yet to gain momentum in leading media throughout Uganda. These stories tend to lack information and perspective.
Alex Tumuhimbise
Alice de Souza, Brasil
Alice de Souza is a journalist with a postgraduate degree in Human Rights and a master’s degree in Creative Industries. She is an editor at Énois Laboratório de Jornalismo, curator at Associação Brasileira de Jornalismo Investigativo (Abraji) and also contributes as a reporter freelance to Uol Tab and Portal Lunetas.
An IWMF fellow and member of the 3rd Generation of the Distintas Latitudes Young Journalists Network, she was recognized in more than 40 national and international awards.
As a reporter, she has already won scholarships to participate in courses and conferences of Fundación Gabo, ICFJ, Abraji, Sociedad Interamericana de Prensa (SIP), and Thomson Reuters Foundation. She loves covering urban development, health, early childhood, and studying and promoting innovation projects in journalism. Also, she loves beaches and road trips.
Check out some of Alice’s work: Threatened with extinction, macaws are electrocuted to death in the Bahian hinterland.
Journalism is an instrument in the struggle for climate justice, valuing the rights of traditional communities, and safeguarding our future.
Alice de Souza
Belén López Mensaque, Argentina
Belén is a journalist from Córdoba, Argentina. Since she was a child, she’s been interested in climate change and recently, as a professional journalist, she found that she wants to tell stories about this global problem. Belén believes climate change is THE story media should be telling now.
In 2018, she won the FOPEA (Argentinian Journalism Forum) Prize for best journalistic investigation in the students category.
Check out some of Belén ‘s work: Half of humanity in danger from climate change: The risks in Argentina.
The transition to clean energy is still far from being achieved and many governments of the region are still promoting fossil fuels. I think that in this region we have so many other urgent problems (hunger, poverty, corruption), that climate change is always the last topic on government’s agendas.
Belén López Mensaque
Kalash Nanda Kumar, Malaysia
Kalash Nanda Kumar is currently pursuing his postgraduate studies in English Literature at University Malaya. Over the past six years, he has done work in media, journalism and advocacy. He has covered a wide range of areas including legal institutions, indigenous rights, terrorism and environmental issues, among others. He enjoys jazz music and books on postcoloniality.
Kalash also successfully acquired a grant from the US Government (USAID) for a year-long research project on the history of student activism and youth mobilisation in Malaysia. The results of the project can be found here.
Check out some of Kalash’s work: What rights do Sarawak’s native people have to the land they live on?
As a filmmaker and writer, I believe I could use the skills I have to tell stories and highlight subjects within the climate movement that is largely ignored. Effective storytelling can inspire and provide hope. I’d like to play my part in doing so.
Kalash Nanda Kumar
Kehinde Ogunyale, Nigeria
Kehinde is a field freelance investigative and data journalist. He has trained and mentored several campus journalists on data reporting and fondly called ‘Freelance Bureau Chief’ amidst his colleagues. When Kehinde is not doing anything related to journalism, he loves playing the musical instrument.
Kehinde was a nominee for the African Check Award (Student Category) 2020.
Check out some of Kehinde’s work: #EndSARS: Impact Of Judicial Panels In Facilitating Justice For Victims Of Police Brutalities
The impact of climate change in Nigeria has continued to threaten the survival of local dwellers (host communities) and wildlife conservation. The massive deforestation, desertification, excessive flooding and oil spillage are putting several communities into poverty, infrastructural degradation and economic losses. Hence, climate journalism would help me spotlight these issues by identifying problems and providing possible solutions/ suggestions.
Kehinde Ogunyale
Sana Ali, Pakistan
Sana Ali is a part journalist, part press freedom advocate based in Karachi, Pakistan. A lot of her time is spent tracking and reporting on attacks on the press in Pakistan and understanding the trends of free expression in the country. Hint: the situation continues to worsen with new types of restrictions being placed on the media.
She’s also a freelance journalist who has mainly focused on covering political and social developments in Pakistan, which are never dull.
In her free time, she likes to read and during the pandemic, she started an Instagram book account to discover a community of readers and writers.
Check out some of Sana’s work: Fearing for their future, Karachi’s youth march against climate change
Climate change media and journalism can ensure people are firstly informed about what is happening in terms of climate change, help breakdown and explain why this should matter to an average citizen and then continue to report upon developments.
Sana Ali
We’re looking forward to the impactful stories each of our climate change media mentorship fellows will tell in the coming months!
Before you go…
If you’d like to join our community to stay in touch with our fellows, learn about upcoming opportunities, and more, be sure to subscribe to our Climate Weekly newsletter and follow us on social media!