WHO sponsored 2016 CNN Best African Health and Medical Journalist Award Goes to...

WHO sponsored 2016 CNN Best African Health and Medical Journalist Award Goes to...

The WHO 2016 sponsored CNN Multichoice Best African Health and Medical Journalism award has been won by Ms Veronica Narkwor-Kwabla, of Tv3 Network, Ghana, for her documentary Ebola Orphans.   According to the judging panel, her documentary filed from Liberia and Sierra Leone shone a light on some of the ostracized children who are seeking new families. The question she examined was how the two countries will recover from the crisis that crippled health care systems, families and businesses. She told it in a four-part series which left one feeling hopeful and energized, not hopeless and despairing according to judges.

Announcing Ms Narkwor-Kwabla the winner and presenting her the award, Dr Rufaro Chatora, WHO Representative in South Africa, acknowledged her enduring effort in producing such an excellent documentary.  Dr Chatora also congratulated Ms Veronica Onuchi who was also a finalist for the 2016 Best African Health and Medical Journalist Award.  Ms Onuchi's documentary had unearthed the myth behind female genital mutilation.  She analyzed the beliefs behind the practice and the medical implications associated with it. 

In her remarks on receiving the award, Ms Narkwor-Kwabla expressed gratitude to the World Health Organization Office in Liberia and the Ministry of Health for the assistance she received while preparing the series.

 The CNN Multichoice African Journalism Awards have been taking place for the past 21 years.  The awards have helped a number of journalists grow in their careers.  2016 had 37 finalists from over 1600 entries. All the finalists attended the Awards ceremony which was held in Johannesburg, South Africa on Saturday 16 October 2016.  All finalists received both a cash prize and tablet, with the overall winner presented a further cash prize and the opportunity to participate in the CNN Journalism Fellowship at CNN Headquarters in Atlanta.

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